The Better Mask
by PaperDream
Summary: England should never mess with magic, that is a fact all know. Except England himself but he can hardly be called sane with all the unicorn seeing and scone eating he does. Without supervision, he accidentally triggers a lot more than he bargained for; new friendships, healed scars, along with new tensions, secrets and unveiling a past that might just create a war... or two.
1. 1 World questions: A sleeping nation

**For those who know me well enough, yes, I am starting yet again a new story and yes, chances are, I'm probably going to give up on it. But I already have about twenty chapters planned (which is what happens when I'm left for ten days without internet) so you can expect this story to go on :D**

**Pairings will be those my reviewers (if I ever get any) suggest, Russia will not be paired with my OC so feel free to ask me to insert Rochu, Amerus or whatever.**

**The names in bold indicate whose point of view it is.**

**The chapters will all fall into different categories depending on what part of the plot they are focusing on so the chapter title will be in two parts : the sub-story and the chapter name, enjoy reading and please review!**

**Rated T for now.  
**

**Due to a reason explained in the latter chapters, a few chapters will be merged together, don't be surprised.**

* * *

**Germany** sat around the circular table, along with all the other countries, tapping his pen on the dark glass surface. The world meeting was supposed to start hours ago, but delayed by violent fights, rapes, a micro nation intruder, a missing country and a great amount of useless chatter, it had yet to begin… which was far from unusual. _Why God? Why are these idiots countries?_ Germany thought. He had made multiple attempts to obtain order, none of which succeeded. The tall blond was now at the limits of his patience, a fingernail away from snapping. He was about to display his authority once more when he noticed the odd atmosphere surrounding the unproductive meeting, he started scanning the table in search of its source.

Right next to him were the two Italian brothers, the first one, Veneziano, was crying. Ludwig immediately reacted, reaching his hand towards the sobbing nation but stopped in his tracks when he heard about the disaster that had fallen upon the poor man:  
"Why don't they serve pasta? Veeeee~ I miss pasta…" Germany face palmed and turned his focus on South Italy. The latter was swearing, calling his former boss a great diversity of names Ludwig didn't know existed. Romano had, after all, spent years perfectioning his insult vocabulary. _Nothing serious_, mentally added the Germanic nation.

America sat beside the brothers, affirming his 'hero' title between soda slurps and burger bites. Oblivious to other's ideas, he remained as hard to understand as a mute man with both arms amputated. Ludwig knew that, being the superpower he was, if the western nation took meetings seriously others would listen and participate. _Unfortunately, he lacks experience… and a brain. Oh well, everything seems normal on this side_.

Switzerland followed the superpower. He was keeping a close watch on Liechtenstein, sitting a dozen seats away. His gun was resting on his lap, ready to shoot (*cough* fatally *cough*) anyone who dared lay a hand on his sister. The neutral nation still found time between glances to coach Japan on how to speak his mind. The eastern nation couldn't bring himself to tell Switzerland that he thought he might be a tad too overprotective towards the small country. _That didn't change_.

Germany could tell from the menacing aura who sat on the asian country's left. The imposing ash blond man was explaining to others how "it doesn't matter because in the end we'll all be one with Mother Russia, Дa?" but his quest to find friends (or victims) was just a succession of failures. Ludwig took note of what the former Soviet Union sat on. It wasn't one of those dull office chairs omnipresent in the room, no, it was red and gold covered in scotch tape and completely shattered in places. Bosby's chair. The blue eyes turned to the most probable responsible of the presence of the 'cursed' chair.

The usual England, the one throwing sarcastic comments everywhere, the one fighting with France for no reason at all, the one criticizing the absurdity always present in others' acts, was missing. Instead rested an extremely tired Englishman.

The last time Britain had given in to sleep was during war when most countries are exhausted, but the island's economy was now doing just fine and his politics were in good shape. England was also aware of the importance of these meetings, he knew better than to stay awake the night before. Ludwig couldn't figure out any reason for the island not to be full of energy and strangling France's neck.

"Veeee~ Germany, are you okay?" the blond man snapped out of his thoughts and gave Italy a quizzical look "You didn't yell your "SHUT UP! TAKE A PAPER ORGANIZE YOUR IDEAS YOU HAVE EIGHT MINUTES TO SPEAK UP." Like you do every time, instead you were just staring at Britain." Explained the Italian man.

"Do you know why he's slee – Wait no! Don't wake hi – " Too late. Veneziano had already thrown his pencil on the island nation, painfully waking him.

"Why are you sleeping?" wondered the white flag mass producer

"You bloody sod! Don't wake someone up just to ask him why he's sleeping!" criticized the groggy blond while rubbing the spot the projectile fell upon.

"You see? England-san agrees with me." Pointed out Japan earning an exasperated look from the armed man.

"Since the question's been asked, mind answering _mon chéri_?" asked France, tied in a 'rape proof' rope.

Britain shivered at his nickname "First of all, don't call me _mon chéri _you perverted git, and second, I have a personal life!"

"Then how about becoming one with me, Дa?" suggested the Russian.

"No! why the bloody hell wou – Are you sitting on Bosby's chair?"

"Дa, it's comfortable, you know?" replied the former communist.

To everyone's surprise, the man's bushy eyebrows crept towards his hair line in a very confused curb. "Didn't you slurp munch slurp gy?" wondered the American before repeating himself as no one seemed to understand him, for no reason he could think of "Didn't you bring it here, Iggy?"

"Of course not! And would you be so kind not to deffigurate the noble language I have given you?" America rolled his blue eyes and resumed his 'healthy' meal.

"Who brought the chair then?" asked Canbo… Cantu… Candia… someone.

"Who brought the chair then?" asked Austria. The countries all fell silent as no one seemed to be willing to claim ownership of the act. After having witnessed Russia destroys the so-called 'cursed' artifact a dozen times, none ignored how ineffective it was, especially since the northern country always ended up sitting on it. "Someone had to be stupid enough to forget Russia is also country therefore also attends this gathering." Insisted the aristocrat. Seeing no one denounce himself or another he added "Well I guess it's safe to assume England was so tired he didn't notice he was carrying a chair around."

"How can anyone NOT notice they're carrying a bloody chair from England to Korea?" objected the main suspect. His eyes suddenly widened as the shock of the realization hit him "That idiot!"

"Did you figure out who brought it here?" asked his neighbor, Belgium.

"How about we resume the meeting?" quickly suggested the United Kingdom "We haven't gone through much, right Germany?"

"Uh… ja… So, about the global warming." Reminded Ludwig, still unsettled by the gentleman's weird behavior "Korea, as host country, you may go first."

The Korean man stood up "I don't have much to say, daze. Did you know global warming originated from me?" China pinched his nose bridge as he frowned, clearly annoyed by his brother.

"No it didn't!" contradicted America, expressing what was on everyone's mind "I say we create a new superhero that can stitch holes in the atmosphere!" the western nation suggested, dead serious.

"Superheroes originated from me!" informed the asian country

"No they didn't!" denied the hamburger loving nation, opening a debate between the personifications and giving birth to another chattering chaos.

_Why? All I want is ONE meeting where we actually do something useful! Can't I have that much?_

"Veeeee~ Germany? Why are you crying?"

* * *

**Hope you liked it!**

**Credits to Himekouchia for the rape proof rope \(^.^)/**

* * *

**2. England's quest: a spell gone wrong:**

**English is not my first language, french is, so please forgive the many mistakes you are prone to encounter in this piece of work :P**

* * *

**England **took his time packing his papers, making sure he was the only one left in the half destroyed conference room. He started checking every corner, under the table, behind the pale grey curtains until he opened a closet and fell nose to nose with a teenage girl.

She appeared to be around thirteen, fourteen years old or maybe younger because of her smooth pale skin. Her uneven hazelnut brown hair fell on her shoulders, untamed strands giving her a 'wild' look. But her eyes were what stood out the most. On her face rested two big emerald sphere surrounded by long eyelashes.  
Her clothes however, were uncoordinated. She wore a man sized pure white T-shirt in which she floated, the sleeves reached her elbows and her red shorts were almost completely concealed under her top.

"Irene, do that once more and I'll turn you into a bloody toad!" warned the Englishman.

"You should have seen your face when they all blamed you, Iggy!" exclaimed the sugar high girl.

"Do not call me Iggy!" ordered the pissed man

"You let America call you that… Is he THAT precious to you?" Irene smirked

The personification's face turned red "N – No! That git could go die for all I care! He's ungrateful, disrespectful, stupid, he lacks common sense, he eats like a pig and can't read the atmosphere!"

"But he's hot," added the teen "good-natured, funny, powerful, joyful, always there for those in need, a hero, helpful, like a younger brother to you, able to stay alive after eating you food, in a great economic, political and military situation and waaaaaaaaaaaay more important to you than you care to admit." The brunette burst in rounds of laughter when the nation's skin turned redder than Spain's tomatoes. He tried stuttering a witty comeback but failed and headed to the door.

The blond man bumped in an invisible wall. He fell backwards and looked up to see a transparent silhouette floating in the air. He narrowed his eyes and managed to make out a young man with glasses, silky wavy hair and a white bear.

"Sorry." Apologized the silhouette

"Who?" asked both England and Kumajiro

"Hey Canada!" the young girl greeted the nation with a hug.

"Oh, right. Canadia." The island nation 'remembered'

"It's Canada." Corrected Irene

"Were you here the whole time?" wondered Arthur

"Yeah… Who is she? How does she know me?" asked America's brother

"Sit down, this will take time to explain." Warned the gentleman.

* * *

_~Flaaaaaaaashback~_

**England** sighed. This was not his day. He barely escaped getting raped by France only to be ambushed by a crazy Belarusian chasing after her 'brother dear' and suspecting him of hiding said brother. Britain had to once again use every resource he could dispose of to get out of the fairly risky situation. He somehow ended up in Scotland's house. The redhead was absent, attending an 'essential meeting (with a glass) in a pub'. Arthur took the opportunity to rummage through his brother's spell book collection which never failed to amaze him. His attention was drawn to a very particular book.

It looked new which was very uncommon for magic books, the metal grey cover was outlined by sky blue straps that seemed to be emitting light. The nonexistent title pushed the United Kingdom to open the pages. He decided to try the spell on the first page.

The nation drew a pentagon inscribed in a circle on which few words were to be written, words who made absolutely no sense in the island's head: "Yaoi, pairings, lemon…"

Blinding light suddenly flashed in the Scotsman's house, blades of wind made it their purpose to destroy whatever was on their way. The man couldn't move or breath until the mini storm calmed down. Through the thick fog, Arthur could see a human shape. _Oh great. I summoned Russia again_, was his first thought but he quickly noticed how smaller the body was and how missing the bloody iron pipe was.

"Who?" he asked

"Dude, I'm not Canada. Don't go stealing Kumajiro's lines." Stated the teen "My name's Irene and I believe your spell went haywire and brought me here like in all those fan fi – " the girl looked on the floor and broke in a grin as she read the words "Do you have any idea what these mean?"

"Unfortunately, I don't" admitted the blond

"I highly suggest things stay that way." Irene said

"What are you doing here?" questioned the nation

"Waiting for you to bring me back home… though I've never actually read any fan fiction where you manage to send a fan girl back… I sure hope it's 'cause the author was too lazy to finish writing the story." The brunette answered

"Fan fi – author – What? I-I'm afraid I can't follow."

"I come from another world where you nations are anime characters." The girl resumed.

"Then shouldn't you be panicking right now?" pointed out Arthur

"Panicked? Hell no! I get to stalk all of you guys while you kill yourself searching for a counter spell! This is every fan girl's dream! Hey, how do I get to Russia's house? Or Norway's?" blurted out the over excited teenager.

"You are not going anywhere young lady." Ordered the older man " I absolutely cannot let you wander around, you are under my responsibility!"

"What?" complained Irene "You're kidding me! You don't seriously expect me to stay in this house while you find the freakin' spell! It's no different from a life sentence in prison!"

"I can't do anything in this house, it's my brother's. First we'll go to my place, then we'll negotiate." Suggested Arthur

"Fine." Agreed the fan girl.

"I'm not sure I want to know what is happening here and I seriously hope I misunderstood what you just said Artie." Said the Scottish man who had just appeared in the doorway "It's never a good thing when you use my spell books."

_~End of flaaaaaaaashback~_

* * *

"… And that is why I'm, forced to babysit a fourteen year old hyper teen." Concluded England

"… And that is why I haven't eaten real food for the past twenty hours." Irene finished "No wonder America's so messed up, I bet it's a side effect from the inedible stuff Arthur makes. You're lucky to have been brought up by France, Canada."

"So what do you expect me to do?" asked… the guy with the hair curl

"Take me!" pleaded the young girl "I can't stand his motherly personality for another day! Pleeeeease!" Her green eyes teared up and intensely gazed in the canadian's eyes. The northern country took pity on the 'miserable' fangirl and agreed.

"You triple moron!" England scolded "She manipulated you!"

"What do you mean? She was on the verge of cry – Oh." The man's sentence was interrupted by an over joyful girl stealing his car keys and rushing out of the room "Hey! Those are mine!"

"Don't worry," reassured the island nation "she's mischievous but definitely not a thief. You'll probably find her waiting for you in front of your car." Canada nodded and they both headed to the car park where a note and keys had been left behind:

"_Hey Canada,_

_I thought I'd take the opportunity to escape, your car keys are stuck to this note and I can handle myself so don't worry ! Worst case, I'll blame everything on Artie :D_

_Enjoy life,_

_Love, Irene_"

"Oh shit!" swore the usually shy nation.


	2. 3 Russia's friend list: Irene

**Russia **hadn't made much progress on his 'become one' policy but he was so used to it, it hardly mattered anymore. Still, he found himself reluctant to leave the only place he had any chance of socializing in. He never completely lost hope even though his attempts at joining others' conversations were always interrupted by sudden emergencies the other countries had to deal with. The car he called his own was now one of the last ones left on the spacious lot. It reminded him of himself, alone.

The tall man noticed two other countries remained on the parking. Both of which seemed to be agitated by something. Canada was holding a piece of paper and looking all around while England had paled and was yelling a girl's name : Irene.

The Russian wasn't in the right mood to care and slid in his car before driving off towards the airport. He drove for a while before speaking up:

"Canada and England are looking for you, Дa?" asked the ash blond man after reaching the highway, amused at the girl's bad hiding place. She was in front of the backseats, making herself as small as she could.

"You knew I was in here?" asked Irene as she got up from her curled position and sat next to Ivan.

"There weren't many other cars, you know?" replied the imposing nation "And mine is never locked."

"Right… Anyway, my name's Irene, I'm fourteen and I was summoned to this world by Arthur." Irene introduced herself "If you don't mind, can I stay at your place?"

The Russian was taken aback by the question, no one ever wanted to stay at his house, they all ran away from him. Then again, that girl didn't know him well enough to fear him "How can you trust a stranger like me enough to live with him?"

"You see, in the world I come from, all of you nations are characters from a manga called Hetalia, and being a hardcore fan of that manga, I know everything there is to know about you!" explained the teen. "So technically, you not being a stranger anymore, can I stay at you place? Please? I'll clean after myself and you won't be alone anymore! What is there to lose?"

Ivan looked at the girls big sea green eyes. They showed no fear, like America's, only more… understanding? She held eye contact with him knowing his past and the bad things he'd done, waiting for an answer with a sincere smile. He needed to have her."You will become one with me, Дa?"

"No." she flatly rejected "But I'll be your friend, which is what you actually want, right?" The girl didn't fail to surprise him. She held a small grin, one saying she was smarter than she let see "That's your problem. If you can't get the message through completely, people will misunderstand you."

"I don't understand." Claimed the Russian man

"That complicates everything…And I thought America lacked common sense." Irene huffed. Russia didn't quite enjoy being compared to his old enemy and couldn't help letting out a 'kolkolkol' and his loyal iron pipe, however, the teen's reaction wasn't the one he expected. She glared back. "I'll be your friend as long as you don't turn all creepy on me." The girl sighed before displaying her cheerful smile once more "Talk to me like if I was an equal, as if I was America but with Ukraine's personality. If you see me as a possession or as inferior we'll never get anywhere!" The big nation was starting to doubt whether or not bringing the girl with him was a good idea. She didn't obey, was insolent and read his emotions and thoughts like a book. Yet he didn't mind. She was different and it wasn't a bad thing. She wouldn't leave his side like so many before, she wouldn't fear him during his mental breakdowns, and she would be his friend.

* * *

**R****ussia** had never talked that much with someone. Irene made the conversation flow easily and even if in the beginning the cold nation let the teen do all the talking, he became more talkative as the flight to his home country came to a close. He was surprised at how random and deep conversations could turn, not once had he discussed red unicorns wearing leprechaun hats or the meaning of life before. He completely forgot about his iron pipe (yes, he passed security with it, don't ask how) and entirely focused on the strange person sitting next to him. He got to know the human better and couldn't see her as anything else then his exact opposite. She was sociable and surrounded by a permanent cheerful mood translated by her bright smile. He also got to know a side of him he didn't know, a natural side.

"I am sorry but," apologized an attendant "this seat is supposed to be empty." She said while pointing at Irene. Russia had enjoyed her company so much he forgot they smuggled her in "Which seat were you in?" He didn't know what to do and suddenly remembered the weapon hidden in his coat. His hand reached for it, slowly. A sob stopped him. Irene was crying.

"I-I don't know… I lost my boarding pass along with my bag and this man was kind enough to tell me no one sat next to him…" Ivan was confused, _Irene never had a boarding pass_.

"Didn't you memorize your seat?" asked the attendant with a softer voice. Irene let out more tears and whispered something inaudible "excuse me?"

"I'm blind…" she admitted, as if it was her biggest secret. The flight attendant apologized and went away while Irene held back a huge smile. Ivan finally caught up to the teenage girl's plan, he didn't think such a young girl could manipulate others like she did. She reminded him of someone… He just couldn't bring himself to pinpoint who but it was someone he couldn't hate, someone he couldn't hurt because he couldn't bring himself to do so.

* * *

**Irene** hated snow. She couldn't understand why everyone found it pretty; there was no beauty in pure white, just emptiness, coldness and loneliness. Moreover, the crystallized rain could be dangerous, deadly and that fact was underrated.

You might now be wondering why she chose to follow Russia, knowing very well how snow engulfed his country. Ever since she had started down the path of the Hetalia fan girl, the teenager had always wanted to know if the man's psychological scars could be healed, she wanted to have a go at filling his heart with friendship and getting him to let go of the past, even if that meant spending months surrounded by snow. Ivan was one of those she just couldn't leave alone, no matter what. It wasn't pity, it was a feeling she couldn't place a finger on, a feeling that told her the more he suffered, the more she would too.

The girl knew her sudden silence surprised the nation as they walked hand in hand towards his house. The snow covering the great city of Moscow like icing on a cupcake dragged her mood to her feet and filled her thoughts with serious dull stuff. _No wonder Ivan turned out like that in this cold environment_, she thought as a cold wind penetrated the coat Russia had lent her. The sun slowly disappeared from the horizon, leaving the girl and her new friend in a dark freezing night.

* * *

**4. Russia's friend list: smiles and tears:**

**Irene** got up feeling the day ahead would be as awesome as nutella filled kinder eggs. She took a quick warm shower the bathroom adjourning her room, combed her hair and slid in one of Belarus' old dresses Russia had given her the night before. The Alice in Wonderland look didn't fit her very well but she didn't really mind, filling her empty stomach was her priority.

She first took a glance at the room she couldn't see very well the night before because of the dark. It looked like a small chalet; everything was made out of light wood and warmed up the heart with bright colors. Next to the door, the double bed was sandwiched between two tiny square tables, one of which topped with an empty flower vase. Across the room, under the rectangle window, was an old fashion desk with many drawers (unfortunately, no computer) filled with old papers and stationeries. Irene wondered if the whole house gave off a family warm vibe.

Russia's house was huge. Three stories high with at least four guest rooms, none of which had been slept in for half a century. Windows covered every wall, bathing the mansion in natural sunlight and turning the nighttime haunted house in a peaceful mini castle. The furniture decorating every square feet looked like it might have been worth billion dollars in its time… which must have been a few hundred years ago. The only things that betrayed the antique overall were the computer in the study on the second floor, the huge plasma screen watching over the living room next to the main door and the many phones stuck on the orange flower patterned walls.

The teenager's stomach complained when she stopped heading to the kitchen to admire the house. "Fine, I get it." She grabbed the staircase rail and flew down the steps as fast as she could. Once downstairs, she noticed her hand had turned black. _Dust_. Irene realized the rail wasn't the only thing covered in the dust, the whole house was. _He hasn't had a guest for so long he just didn't bother cleaning I guess_. Her heart tightened, just how deep was the injury in his soul?

The host was cleaning a rectangle twelve person dining table when the girl came in; he was trying to figure out which product was to be used on wood and which on glass. Irene giggled at his desperate attempt to put in everything "Need help?"

The man paled at the sight of the dress but quickly noticed the brown hair and emerald eyes "Niet. You are the guest."

"No, I'm a freeloader, I'll help you once I finished ruthlessly murdering a toast." She declared, heading straight for the ajar door separating the dining room and the kitchen.

* * *

The dusty library held possibly thousands of books, thousands of years of recorded history… in Russian. _Ugh_. The teenager had volunteered cleaning that place in hopes of finding more information about Ivan, completely forgetting about the language barrier. She sighed and started doing what she was supposed to: dust books. Irene put aside all English and picture books so she could go through them once she was done. By the end, the pile had seven books and an hour and half had passed. _Seven… How lucky_.

The first one was 'How to learn Russian for dummies', one of the most recent books in the library but also the strangest one. Why the hell would Russia, whose Russian was better than anyone's seeing it's his national language, need to learn the language? _I'll keep it as a survival kit in Russia_.

The next one was a photo album. The pictures were all of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine as children in the snow. Ukraine always smiling, supporting her younger siblings like she could, giving emotional warmth when no physical heat was available. Belarus had barely passed the infant age; she was holding hands with either of her siblings who were like parents to her. All three carried heavy injuries but Russia's were far worst, he had bruises painting his body like holes in Swiss cheese and scars covering his every limb. He smiled. Irene knew that smile, the one that protected those dears from endless worrying and waterfalls of tears. She knew that smile, the one that couldn't leave Ivan's face anymore.

Only half of the book was filled with pictures that were all similar to the others, the next half was empty and the teenager only understood to well why. It was the start of the time where he was cut off from everyone, when he was all alone.

Sometimes the girl wished she was stupid. An idiot would have seen these pictures and said 'Awwww, what a cute family!', Irene wanted to burn them. She always saw beyond the smiles and beyond the tears. To her, the smiling Russian boy was ten times more miserable than the crying Belarusian, the eldest girl wasn't the mother figure of the family, she was the one being kept from a mental breakdown by her brother and the snow around them wasn't a background, it was a death threat. Irene sighed, she picked up the pile and dropped it in her room, across the corridor.

She took her time going down the stairs, wondering if she could still look in Ivan's eyes without wanting to hug him and tell him how he's not alone. The nation had finished cleaning the kitchen, the dining room and the living room, he was starting sorting out the storage room when Irene popped from behind "Let's do this one together!"

The Russian man was getting used to the girl's strange demands and agreed. The storage room was a large grey cube with nothing but a dangling light bulb to keep the darkness away. Many chests and shelves held objects that went from a simple doll to full body armors and snow shovels while sculptures and canons stood on the rough white floor. Old paintings hung on the smoke colored wall, each of a different time period and artistic movement, they gave the big box the appearance of a timeline. "This place is amazing… No wonder America had so much trouble cleaning his…" The girl whistled.

"Дa, it will take time." Russia affirmed, pulling his sleeves up.

* * *

"Holy shit! We spent four hours in there!" exclaimed Irene, covered in dust from head to toes.

Ivan collapsed on his yellow couch, in the same sorry state his guest was in "It's already two o'clock, do you need lunch?". The girl's stomach answered "I suppose that is a yes. We should hurry, I have an international meeting at five."

"You just had the world meeting yesterday!" reminded the girl

"This time it's the Asia meeting and it's hosted here today, after I'll have to go to the Europe meeting in a week in Poland and then I have a whole month to myself." Explained the country, a bit of sadness as he mentioned the time he would have to spend alone.

"Can I come?" asked Irene

The blond thought for a while and as he knew she would come even if he said no, he gave in "Yes, but you have to stay outside the meeting room, the closet counts as inside."

"Okay~" cheerfully agreed the teen

* * *

**5. Teenage life: Waiting room conversations:**

**Irene** sat in one of the many chairs in the waiting room right next to where the conference was held. She fiddled with the loose armrest to occupy her hands as she thought of a plan to infiltrate the meeting. Unfortunately, the dark blue plastic chairs, the polished wooden doors, the big wall sized windows, the white view and the vending machines gave her little inspiration.

The teenager really wanted to witness the meeting, she remembered how much fun they were to watch in the anime, how hilarious would they be in real life?

The door she focused her eyes on was the only way to enter or exit the gathering and there was no way she could slid past it unnoticed. Maybe if she started a fire drill the countries would leave the building, giving her an opportunity to sneak in and wait for the conference to resume. _No, I need to think of a way out too_. She had managed to befriend Russia and didn't want to get on his bad side if he ever found out she disobeyed the only order he had given her.

"No matter how long you stare at the door, I doubt it will open." A boy said, startling the girl. He was a bit older than her, one or two years and wearing Chinese clothing. Irene recognized him the moment she saw his face:

"Hong Kong!" The fan girl greeted, The island was clearly surprised a human knew him "I live in you!" Irene realized how wrong that sounded and corrected herself "I mean, I'm one of your residents… From another world… They have the same countries than here just no personification… you guys are an anime… England brought me here you can just guess what happened."

The island wasn't sure how to react to the weird introduction, whether to believe her or not, but if the girl knew who he was and if England was to blame for her presence, anything was possible "And what are you doing here?"

"I live at Russia's… Don't tell England I'm here." Answered Irene

Hong Kong was surprised "You live with this psycho? Are you okay?"

"He's not a psycho!" defended the teenage girl "Try living centuries alone surrounded by icy cold snow and tell me if you remember – or if you ever learned – how to behave around others! Ivan is just a child inside; he never had any parent to teach him what's good and what's bad! He's like a kid who doesn't know flowers need water to live and always heads out to pick new ones as the old ones wilt. Moreover, he experienced so much pain it became an everyday thing to him and blood a normal sight to him, he just thinks it's the same for everyone and – "

"Whoa, I get it! I get it." The boy interrupted "I only heard about him from gramps, I won't jump to conclusions again. Anyway, you seem to care a lot about him."

"Yeah," Irene replied "For some reason I just can't live him alone…"

The island smirked "Nations and humans don't fall for each other, you know?"

"EWWWWWW!" she exclaimed "No! Ewww! Sick! I don't see him that way! He's like twice my age – "

"Actually he's millenniums older than you." Corrected Xiang

"I meant in human age. Don't pretend you didn't understand… Why did you have to say that? Do you have any idea what happens in a fan girl brain when you put countries and couples together?" rhetorically asked Irene

The boy's grin grew larger "You picture it… And influenced by yaoi I'd say in a very unorthodox way."

Irene's eyes widened "You know what yaoi is?"

The island shrugged "Japan's house isn't that far away from mine and Taiwan isn't ignorant in the ways of the fan girl either. By the way, I still didn't catch your name."

"Oh right! Sorry I didn't notice, I'm Irene, fourteen years old, I live in Hong Kong where I attend the French International School." Quickly introduced the girl "Soooo… What do you want to do?"

"Do you know somewhere where we're not surrounded by boring chairs?" asked Hong Kong

Irene took keys out of the pockets of her dress "We could go to Russia's house, it's the mansion just next to this building. He gave me the keys in case I got bored." The island paled "No, it is not filled with torture tools… well maybe the basement is, I haven't really checked it out yet."

The asian teen relaxed "I guess it can't hurt then, I'll send a text to gramps so he doesn't worry too much." He took out the newest Iphone and finished writing in the blink of an eye "Can I have your phone number?"

"I don't really have a phone with me," Irene replied "it was left in my world."

Hong Kong put away his phone "We have about three hours before the meeting ends, we should go now."

"Okay."

* * *

The basement's door was a big chunk of metal, it was locked by multiple chains as hard to break as an expert level Sudoku is hard to complete. Fortunately, Irene was really good at Sudokus.

"You ready?" Irene said

"Where the hell did you learn to pick locks?" asked the boy in amazement

Irene smiled "I had plenty of time to learn at home." She answered, only adding to the island's confusion. The girl pushed the door open, revealing a dark space. Hong Kong switched on the neon lights displaying an a hundred fifty square meter room.

The walls, floor and ceiling were all made of the same material the door was made of. The basement's shape was a perfect rectangle filled with weapons of all kinds. It was a real military base, with a mini shooting range and ragged dummies, guns aligned on the windowless walls, grenades stored in boxes and tanks blueprints lying on the sole table in the middle "This place is awesome!" the fan girl squealed. She turned to her fellow teen to see his face unfazed.

"Every country has one of those." He explained "But I have to admit this one is pretty big. Anyway, there's nothing to do in here."

"Hey, do you know how to use a gun?" Irene asked

"We all do, after all the wars we've been in." answered the island, receiving a little 'Oh' from the girl

"Can you teach me?" carefully asked the younger teen

* * *

**6. Teenage life: Safety hatches:**

**Hong Kong** thought he misheard. Human girls didn't usually want to learn to use guns; they would rather spend hours painting their nails than shoot bullets. But Irene was a pretty weird girl, he didn't know many that would dare come within five miles of Russia willingly, nor did he knew anyone that could be so cheerful and smiling all the time. Yet he felt something was wrong in her. She cared too much about Ivan. And not enough about her return. _The girl is stuck in another world, she might never come back! Shouldn't she miss her family or something?_

"So?" insisted Irene, with big puppy eyes "In case I encounter France?"

The island sighed "Fine. Go pick a gun." He observed as the girl skipped towards the wide choice of weapons, staring at all of them, taking one out, putting it back, taking another one… She finally came back with a small gun, one of the most recent models. It was a semi-automatic pistol completely black except for the metallic silver grip.

"Left or right handed?" he asked

"Le – " started Irene before correcting herself "Right handed."

Hong Kong failed to understand how she almost mistook her dominant hand but let it slide as it wasn't important "Just don't forget you're holding a dangerous weapon so beca – "

**Click!** "Why didn't it shoot? Damn it, there's a safety hatch isn't there?" Irene complained as her right hand pointed the gun towards the target. "How do I remove it?"

Xiang face palmed "I am not telling you how to do that until I am sure you can properly handle that killing tool and the safety measures are drilled in the deepest part of your brain."

"Don't you just pull the trigger?" wondered Irene

"If that's what you thought, what exactly did you expect me to teach you?" Hong Kong asked

"I don't know," answered the girl "Tips on how to aim?"

"First is first," the boy started "are you sure this is the right gun for you? The smaller it is the less precise your aim will be. And you can't use it as a close combat weapon."

"Yeah but this one is easy to hide" She explained "and to carry around." Hong Kong decided it was wise not to tell her she thought like an assassin planning his next victim's death but he still found it suspicious. _Maybe I shouldn't have agreed to teach her… I feel like I'm turning her into a walking danger_. He took a gun himself, the closest one he found and positioned himself to shoot, both hand holding the gun.

"If you use your two hands, your aim will be more stable. You should also close one eye as 3D sight will confuse you." He started, Irene mimicked his movements "Picture a straight line continuing the gun's barrel, make sure it points to the target before shooting. Don't forget to look around before, you never know when someone might appear in your line of shooting, not alerted of your presence." He pulled the trigger. The sudden bang surprised Irene whose eyes shot straight up at her teacher than at the paper target which had a new hole near the center.

"Wow, you're good." Complimented the girl

"That's because in a shooting range like this one, you don't have to bother dealing with the wind, the humidity or any other terrain traits and the target isn't far." The boy explained.

"Can we remove the hatch now?" Irene asked

"Are you in a hurry to kill someone?" wondered the island "No, let me first inform you of safety procedure. I trust you WILL respect them?" the girl nodded "Don't EVER remove the safety hatch unless you're about to shoot or are in a situation where the enemy could be attacking you at any time. Even when the safety hatch is on, don't point the gun at ANYONE if you're not trying to threaten them. Don't show the gun to ANY human. ALWAYS know where it is. If you shoot, prepare yourself to bare the consequences."

"That's all? I had enough common sense to figure those out." The girl commented

"You'd be surprised how often people forget about these." Warned the personification

"Can we remove the hatch now?" Irene impatiently asked with a smile. Hong Kong rolled his eyes and in a quick thrust armed the weapon. He silently showed her how to put the hatch back multiples time until Irene reproduced the move with nothing but perfection.

She raised the gun and closed one eye, like he had showed her. To his surprise, she spent quite a bit of time aiming with a serious expression on her face. Her impulsiveness and carelessness had disappeared the very moment the snapping sound of the safety hatch had resonated on the metal walls. A tense silence let every breath she took be heard. She finally decided to contract her index and a bang broke the absence of noise.

The bullet had missed the target by five times the distance Xiang's did. Hong Kong turned to Irene to congratulate her for a pretty good first shot when he noticed she was grabbing her left arm in pain. "Are you okay?" he asked

"It's an old injury I had forgotten about, don't worry." She said, letting go of her grip. Her usual cheerful smile reappeared on her face "That was awesome! You're a great teacher, you know? How long did it take you to shoot that well?"

"Decades." He answered "Are you sure it's okay to take one of Russia's guns like that?"

The brunette shrugged "He has so many he probably won't notice." She grinned at the older boy's unsure expression "I'll ask him later."

Xiang had a hard time comprehending where her confidence came from. No matter how much she denied it, Russia still had to have at least the tiniest mental problem for such rumors to spread. Never would he dare take risks like these with a person like Ivan. _Maybe it's the fact she knows she'll leave one day that makes her able to care so little about those she make her enemies_. But the teenager thought wasn't held for long. He had a feeling Irene somehow subconsciously knew Ivan wouldn't hurt her.

"Xiang! Are you okay?" yelled a worried voice. The basement door flew open to reveal Russia and China "I came as fast as I could after the meeting when I read your message, aru!"

Irene burst in laughs "What exactly did you put in your text?"

Hong Kong grinned "At Russia's. I was taken there by a girl wearing Belarusian clothes." The two teenagers cracked up when Yao's face filled itself with confusion "I'm fine gramps, just pulling your leg, this is Irene, the girl in Belarusian clothes."

"您好." Greeted Irene, pulling out one of the few words she remembered from Chinese class, with a terrible pronunciation.

"What are you doing in here?" asked Russia with a creepy purple aura surrounding him.

The teenage girl stepped in front of her shooting teacher "I broke in 'cause I was curious about what was in there, Hong Kong was just showing me his knowledge on weapons. By the way, we used the shooting range if that's alright with you."

To the two eastern countries surprise, Ivan's killing intent disappeared "As long as you didn't damage anything, it's fine."

"W-We should take our leave now… Come Xiang." China mumbled.

Irene was about to say goodbye to the two personifications when an idea hit her like the apple hit Newton's head "It's getting late in China, how about you stay here for dinner and head back tomorrow morning well rested? Russia and I would love to have company!"

_What the hell is she thinking?_ Hong Kong thought before noticing a glint of joy in Ivan's childish gaze. She was trying to help Russia and China's relation. She was trying to help the northern country by creating friendships. _How interesting_. "Sure, why not?" answered the island.


	3. 7 Russia's friend list: China

**China **was happy Hong Kong was safe but felt betrayed when the latter accepted Irene's invitation. _Who is that girl anyway?_ She couldn't be completely sane if she stayed at that monster's place. Yao didn't even know someone lived in Russia's house, he didn't know anything about Russia's personal life. Not that he wanted to. His attention stayed on the strange girl; she was human for sure and as long as she did not speak or moved, her appearance was similar to Belarus': girly dresses and a doll like beauty. _Why would Russia take in a girl? And why does she seem to enjoy herself?_

He tried sending a silent 'help' message to his special administrative region but only got a 'deal with it' smile in return. He sat uncomfortably on the yellow couch with Irene and Hong Kong while the Russian prepared something (hopefully food) in his kitchen. Hong Kong started the conversation "You're not helping him?"

"Nah," the girl answered "My cooking skills are as good as your French."

"We don't speak French, aru." Informed China

"My point exactly." Grinned the brunette

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you here?" wondered the former member of the communist block

"I was summoned to this world by England and am now running away from him. That jerk wanted to keep me in his house 'till he found the return spell. Don't be surprised if I know a lot about you, where I come from, you're part of an anime called Hetalia." Irene answered

"But," continued Yao "aren't you scared of Russia?"

"Russia isn't a bad person inside, he simply doesn't know how to interact with others." Said the teenage girl "Just for tonight, try trusting him and look beyond his fake smile and his creepy aura, please?"

Irene seemed so sincere China simply couldn't refuse. Just thinking about the man made shivers run down his spine but if it was only for a night, he could handle it.

* * *

The two teens were getting along really well and spent the whole meal chatting about technology and annoying parents. Meanwhile, China inspected the blood red dish sitting in front of him. He noticed Russia was staring at him, waiting for Yao to take the first bite. _He put poison in it, aru. He wants to watch me die slowly_. Hong Kong noticed the glaring contest going on between the two countries and the serving of Russian cuisine and decided to lend Irene's plan a helping hand "This is really good! What is it?"

"It's borsch." Russia answered, displaying a smile that conveyed real happiness, not his usual fake childish expression. Seeing Xiang gulp down his entire plate without showing any signs of internal bleeding, China decided to swallow his portion. "Do you like it China?"

"Aya! It's surprisingly yummy!" exclaimed the Asian nation, surprised by meal's taste. Ivan's smile grew and he blushed slightly at the compliment. The blond man started eating too, reassured that they all liked what he cooked. Somehow, with the girl around, the imposing nation looked more like an abandoned puppy than a mad psychopath. Yao started thinking he might just come out alive of this sleep over.

"What happened at the meeting today?" Irene asked out of curiosity/wanting to start a conversation

"Korea's mouth was taped." Answered China "It was hilarious, aru!"

"Дa, it was very funny." Affirmed the blond country "And Japan ate a ball shaped eraser thinking it was a mochi." The Chinese man laughed remembering the scene.

Hong Kong sighed "Did you get any work done?" Both Russia and China stared at him before the blond giggled innocently and the Chinese burst in laughter.

"When did meetings ever get anything done, aru? I just attend so my boss stops nagging." Explained the long haired country, glad the two teenagers didn't leave him to have an awkward talk with the host.

"It is the same for me." Informed the cold nation "If I miss international gatherings, my boss gives me a lot of paperwork and I don't like paperwork." China was impressed at how normal Ivan sounded. He dropped his guard reassuring himself that Irene was right; the man was just socially incompetent, not deranged.

Yao dared addressing the other man "How is your relation with your boss?"

"He is very… How to say…" started Russia

"Strict? Demanding?" suggested the guest

"Дa, demanding. He – " The giant choked on a piece of food. His every cough made the table shake and the silverware jump. Irene tried coming to his help but was held back by Hong Kong who told her to wait.

China quickly reacted and slapped the choking man's back as hard as he could. He prepared a glass of water with his other hand proving himself to be as good with his hands as Yoda. After a few seconds of violent coughs, they all relaxed when the chunk of food was swallowed entirely.

"Chew more carefully, aru! I won't be there every time!" the man scolded before realizing who he was lecturing. _Oh damn, he'll go all 'kolkolkol' on me_.

Instead of feeling insulted, Ivan was reminded of his sister Ukraine who always told him the same thing. She used to be like a mother to him when she wasn't about to breakdown, now she avoided her brother. He knew very well China would never replace his sister, but if he could just have someone – a friend that would tell him right from wrong…

"Will you become one wi – " the nation started before receiving a disappointed look from Irene. Ivan looked towards his feet, ashamed. He blushed and rephrased his demand "W-Will you be my friend? Please?"

The East Asian country didn't know what to say. People don't ask for others to become their friends. He then remembered what Irene had said about him not knowing how to interact with others, maybe he was really just asking why they were in his basement, without any anger, maybe he was really just waiting for Yao's opinion on the dish before eating, maybe he really was in need of a friend. "If it's just becoming your friend, I don't really mind, aru." China answered, a bit of doubt in his voice.

Russia got up, casting a shadow on his fellow country, and slowly approached him. _This is it. He's going to kill me_. Yao closed his eyes, waiting for the iron pipe to impact on his skin. He suddenly felt the big arms wrapping his thin body, _so I'll die strangled_. He opened his eyes, expecting a lack of air but instead got a big warm hug "Thank you! Nobody wanted to be my friend!"

The confused look on Yao's face was priceless. He panicked for a while, not sure what to do when an overgrown child hugged him. He then noticed a tear on the border of Ivan's eyes. A tear of joy. Most of the fear he held towards the Russian immediately disappeared under a wave of pity. It was true, Ivan was a good person inside. _And if that is true, than it must hurt a lot to be excluded like he is_. China hugged the big man back. He smiled slightly remembering his early years spent with the Russian. Back then, they both experienced pain and hardship, they supported each other to survive. But when Yao pulled himself out of the mess, wasn't Ivan forced to endure it more? _Alone?_ "I'll be your friend, don't worry. I've been your friend during the Mongolian rule, we can just resume that relationship."

Irene and Xiang smiled at the success of their plan. Now they needed to find the next country to befriend Russia.

* * *

**9. England's quest: Johnny England:**

**Canada** didn't trust England's plan. The latter had taken a lot of 'safety measures' (if setting fire to the house in case of failure could be counted as a safety measure) but a lot was never enough when they had to infiltrate another countrie's house. It was simple: England would feed the neighbor's dog some of the food he made so it would be 'to occupied falling in love with scones' to bark at the suspicious men, the gentleman then had to pick the lock and let the Canadian in. Inside, Matthew only had to be as invisible as always and look for the girl. But in _his_ house, the plan proved itself to be dangerous. Especially if they were seen.

After the first bite, the golden retriever immediately fell in a comatose state. Britain was wondering why and when Canada tried explaining, the island couldn't hear him. _At least the dog's out. I hope he gets over the trauma_. They slowly crept towards the in the spacious garden, it was a pity they came when it was dark; the diversity of flowers was real eye candy under the sunlight. The two intruders often mistook the human sized statues for actual people and froze in their tracks, making the way to the main door take twice as much time as it should have.

The big double door entrance took England half an hour to unlock. He was still surprised at the dog's sudden unexplainable illness and couldn't take his mind off it. He finally convinced himself the canine had a heart attack from the taste explosion in his mouth and focused on the old style keyhole. The door slightly creaked as it opened.

"In you go, Americanda." Whispered the United Kingdom "Americanda? Where are you?"

"I'm right in front of you." Answered Canada, not bothering correcting his name anymore.

"Who?" asked Kumajiro. Both men shushed him.

"Good luck, lad." Wished the older nation "I pray for your safe return." Canada gulped and engulfed himself in the corridor. The house had a normal size for a country's house, but the many decorations made it look more luxurious than it was. In the dark, Matthew couldn't see much, thankfully, he knew the inside like the back of his hand. He even knew which painting stood where, which door led to where and which room the owner was most likely to be in.

**Cling!**

The sound of glass alerted Canada of someone's presence. _Maple! When does he ever sleep?_ The western nation paid extra attention to the little noise he made. He headed in the first room on his left, the study. He seriously doubted Irene would be in there but it was worth a try. Matthew lit his torch and shone it around the circular room. He checked behind the expensive looking furniture, somehow hoping the brunette would be hiding there.

A weird thing came in contact with his leg. He reflexively turned the light towards the moving creature to see a mouse. He hated mice. They crawled everywhere and ate all the food. Matthew took a quick step back, forgetting about the chair behind him. He tripped over said object, almost bashing his head on the ground. _Uh oh. That might've made too much noise_.

On cue, a person came in the dark room. The nation fortunately found time to hide under the wooden desk in a desperate attempt to remain unfound. _Don't let him see me, don't let him see me, don't let him see me… _the steps came closer to Canada's hiding place until they stopped right in front of him. The blond dared to take a peek at the legs standing a few centimeters away.

He could barely see the shape because of the lack of light in the room but one thing was sure: These weren't the legs of a man. They were too thin, too smooth and not muscular enough. _Irene!_ Canada stood straight up and after banging his head on the table grabbed the girl by her shoulders. The young woman seemed surprised; she tried fighting back and even managed to punch the poor nation in the stomach.

"Stop that! It's me, Canada!" he wisphered

"Lachez moi! (Let me go!)" yelled the girl "J'ai rien compris a ce que vous avez dit! (I didn't understand a word you said!)" the canadian released her. Did Irene speak french?

"Vous n'etes pas Irene? (You're not Irene?)" he asked

"Non! (No!)" she answered.

Other steps got closer to the room, heavy steps, those of a man, and within seconds the owner of the house was with them. He turned on the lights to see what was happening.

Canada finally got a good look at the girl he was holding moments before. She was of small stature, with long red hair and beautiful brown eyes but dressed very lightly, just wearing a t-shirt and underwear. _Definitely not Irene_. It only took one glance at the half naked nation to explain the ginger's presence in the room. _Ewwwwwwwww_...

"And what are you doing here Canada?" spoke the french man

"I am... uh... visiting?" _Do you have a crappier excuse, brain?_

The french nation came closer to Matthew "Did you miss me?"

"NO." quickly denied the four eyes while taking a few steps away "I was just looking for someone."

"And why would that person be here?" Francis asked, he turned to his companion and murmured"Chérie, si tu veux bien nous laisser... (Darling, if you would leave us...)" The girl took her leave and France turned back to Canada

"She is a girl, even if that doesn't change anything to your eyes, and she's pretty. Excuse us for thinking you might have kidnapped her to... um..." started the shy nation

"Rape her?" completed the older nation "It hurts that you think so little of me. But, dis moi (tell me), what do you mean by us?"

"He meant me." claimed the british nation who had just entered the room, black. And by black it was litteraly. "Sorry for taking time Americanda, it seems the only other entry point was the chimnee." He took a look at Canada and relaxed a bit when the latter seemed to have remained untouched by the bearded man.

"Why didn't you just come with me through the main door?" asked the youngest nation

England thought for a while before speaking up "That is of no importance. Where is Irene?"

France raised his hands in the air "I don't even know who she is!" Britain looked at the man suspiciously and collapsed on the chair after deciding his lifelong enemy wasn't lying.

"I was so sure you had her! Where do we look now Cam... Dana... Americanda?" asked the island nation.

"How about you tell me more about this Irene and I help you?" suggested Francis

England reluctantly obliged "She's a human I've accidentally brought from another world where we seem to be cartoon characters or something... She ran off to God knows where after the world conference."

"Actually," completed Canada "She's the one who brought Bosby's chair."

The half naked man let out a little 'Ah.', and after thinking for a while shared his idea "There is another nation who enjoys the company of young girls," informed the french man "Italy, did you check with him?"


	4. 9 Teenage life: The friend list

**Xiang** followed Irene on a tour of the massive house and after half an hour of visiting, the girl opened a last door "And this is my humble room." She finished, opening her arms wide.

"It looks…" started Xiang "great… but dusty… and definitely messy."

Irene raised her hands "I must take the blame for messy but the dust isn't so bad in this part of the house."

"Not so bad?" the boy wiped a part of the wall with his sleeve.

"Wow, I always thought the walls were grayish on purpose… Well, bright wood isn't worse." Grinned the fan girl.

Hong Kong lifted his head towards the ceiling "Did you know there was a huge spider in the corner?" A big thin legged arachnid had taken root near the window, its web covered a quarter of the whole ceiling surface and multiple insects were already on its dinner program.

The teen girl looked at where Xiang pointed "Oh, you mean Rock Lee?"

"Rock Lee?" questioned the island

The brunette's smile widened "I thought I should call it Arachnee but it didn't sound like a name so I shortened it to Rachnee, then I noticed it was similar to Rock Lee and also being a Naruto fan girl, I decided on that!" she rushed to the desk where she took a paper and a pen "We need to do some hardcore brainstorming."

"For what?" he asked

Irene scribbled a few words on the paper and showed it to him:

"_Russia's friendlist:  
-Irene :D  
-Hong Kong  
-China_"

"We need to decide who's next!" declared the girl

The boy frowned "Why do you get a smiley?" Irene rolled her eyes and added a '(/°n°)/˝ _l_l_' after his name "What the hell is that supposed to be?"

"A 'flip the table'." She answered

"Ah." He said "Anyway, from what I guess, I'm your accomplice from now on."

"Yup!" she affirmed "I won't get anywhere alone. You can, like, give me information or something… Or help me brainstorm for example."

"You do realize I'll have to go back home after tomorrow morning?" reminded Xiang

"Let's think about now first, tomorrow will come tomorrow and we'll worry about it tomorrow, ok?" She started clicking the pen "I was thinking of Austria because they both like classical music."

"How do you know what kind of music Russia listens to?" wondered the personification

The girl shrugged "Found some records when we were cleaning the storage." She looked at Hong Kong "You should sit down… I feel bad being half lying on the bed when you're standing up." The boy agreed and dropped his bum on the desk's chair. He felt something under him and grabbed it before dangling it in front of his face. Irene blushed when she saw what he held "Hey, release that!"

"Pink? Not the color I pictured you with." He pointed out while throwing the bra in her face

"You pictured me in my underwear?" smirked the brunette, hiding her piece of lingerie behind her

Xiang's face turned red "No – That's not what I – I meant I didn't think you liked hot pink. That's all. What the hell is wrong with you fan girl's brains?"

"I was just kidding," Irene reassured, still holding back giggles "You're right, these are Belarus'. It was her clothes or Ukraine's. Unfortunately, I lack a bit of chest to fit in the latter's clothes… And unfortunately, the clothes I borrowed from Ivan's little sister are a bit tight in that area. I should seriously go shopping one day… Ugh, too lazy to." The fan girl noticed her friend's discomfort and smiled a mischievous smile "I forgot asians don't have huge breasts, you never had a conversation concerning them, didn't you?"

"Of course I didn't!" he defended "Guys don't talk about that!"

"Where I come from, they do" informed the girl "and way more than they should but that must be a human thing, and with Taiwan around, you mustn't have a lot to talk about."

The Chinese boy appeared offended "Sh-She's not that flat!" He had felt a need to take his fellow asian island's side.

"I know, I just love how red your face is when you talk about girl stuff." Irene said between laughs

"Let's go back to the list." Quickly diverted Xiang "How many names do you intend to put on there?"

"All if I can." Replied Irene, eyeing the boy with a teasing gaze "I'll stick to the maximum of things with a life possible until I have to go home." _Have__ to go home, doesn't look like she wants to_. He kept that thought to himself as he didn't want to ruin the friendly atmosphere between the two teens. "So, how's Austria? I also thought of Romania or America, but that'll be way harder."

"You're just going to pop up in his house and start up a conversation on music?" asked the island "I doubt that'll work."

"I was thinking of making a deal with Hungary," explained the brunette "She has to invite Russia and I over and to make it fair I will help her take um… compromising pictures of the two. But I don't have her phone number."

"I can send it to you." Suggested Hong Kong "All of us have a booklet with all the numbers of all the countries/islands written in them. I just have to make a copy and send it to you by actual mail since Russia will notice if we send it via the computer though I'm not sure if helping you helping Hungary take pictures is the right thing to do… I mean my name is on the list and the bro code doesn't allow such a thing."

"You're not human so the bro code doesn't affect you." Irene said

The Chinese boy took a hurt look "That is so discriminatory! We personifications aren't that different for you, we have feelings too!"

Instead of blurting out a well thought comeback, Irene slumped completely on her bed, holding her pillow tightly in her arms "Hey Xiang?"

"Yeah?" he answered

"Is being a country hard?" the girl asked

Xiang took awhile to think of an answer "I'm not really a country and I'm pretty young but from what I heard from gramps, it is. Even if many friendships are created between nations, there are as many – if not more – rivalries and betrayals. You're closest friend becomes your worst enemy in the blink of an eye if his or your boss say so. The sin you carry casts a shadow on your good deeds and it's never forgotten, like the rule of Russia by Stalin for example. Scars never disappear nor do past tensions; they might not look like it but many countries still resent another for something that happened centuries ago, they only keep it hidden because they know being at each other's throats won't help the situation…" the boy paused at his friend's silence. He took an eraser he found on the table and threw it at her.

"What was that for?" she demanded as she projected a pillow on Hong Kong

"A depressed you doesn't fit you." He grinned as he picked up the projectile and started a pillow fight.

* * *

**China** felt somehow happy he'd clear a misunderstanding with Russia. He didn't completely trust the man yet of course but the fear had almost completely disappeared. He glanced at Ivan as the Russian washed the antique plates they had eaten in. He was humming a nursery song (or a curse… they sounded the same from Ivan's mouth) and tilting his head from left to right. _All I said was that I would be his friend_… _How can that be enough to make him this happy, aru? Just how lonely was he?_ Yao knew he was partially responsible for the man's lack of friend, if only he'd stick with him even when their countries relations were tense, _as a friend not a nation_. Lost in his thoughts, the asian country didn't notice Russia was gone and nearly jumped out of his skin when the latter poked him "Aya!"

"Shhhhhh…." Whispered the blond man. He made a sign for China to follow him up the stairs and into a guest room where the light was on.

Irene and Hong Kong had both fallen asleep on the bed, surrounded by mutilated pillows bleeding feathers. They looked so peaceful Yao couldn't help letting out a 'Awwwww'. "Cute, Дa?" asked the bigger nation.

"Yeah, aru." The girl definitely had something to do with the fact Russia was easier to get along with, she had also gained Xiang's trust in less than a day, _her presence in this world can't be a bad thing, can it? _The nation hoped.


	5. 10 Teenage life: An early call

**This is my shortest chapter yet... If you wonder what happened to Irene and Ivan, you'll have to wait for the next update :P  
THANK YOU ECHOLILY AND FRIENDS!**

* * *

**Irene** dialled the only number registered in the old navy blue nokia resting in her hand.

"Wei?" answered the other side of the line

"Hong Kong? It's Irene!"

"Oh, hey! I guess you got my package?"

"Yup! Thanks a lot, I seriously don't know what I would do without you." The teen glanced at the open box lying on her bed. She had received it in the morning, three days after China and Hong Kong left. A little note was attached to it "_Got Taiwan to help me gather stuff needed for a fan girl's survival in an unfamiliar environment, Xiang_." Inside were casual clothes, _finally free of those old fashion dresses_, a pair of boots, a lot of coats, a hairbrush, hair bands, underwear, doujinshis, hygienic stuff and a charger for the phone that came with it. Irene was very happy but something bothered her… "Just one question… How did you guess my size?"

"For the shoes? I remembered receiving the shoe you wore that day in my face during the pillow fight."

"You know that's not what I meant."

The boy's voice was obviously feigning ignorance "What did you mean?"

"My cup size. It's a perfect fit. All you saw a few days ago were bras too small for me."

Xiang laughed nervously "Taiwan was in charge of lingerie."

"Taiwan has never seen me."

"Anyway, if you need the number of any country just call me or send a text."

"Don't change the topic."

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" Hong Kong's level of discomfort was starting to amuse the brunette

"Okay, different question:" The island relaxed "How long did you stare at my boobs?"

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?"

Irene had to try her best to control her laughter "Sorry, sorry, you don't have to answer that *cough* for now *cough*…"

"I heard that between the fake coughs!"

"Wooops, my bad. Here's a virtual hug to make you feel better… and feel my chest against yours."

"AAAAAARGH! I'm seriously going to hang up if you only called me to talk about your… your…"

"Come on, you can say it."

"Things." At this point, the girl could picture her friend's face turning as red as the dried blood on Ivan's pipe and was reaching her limit as her need to laugh grew "Okay, that's it I'll –"

"Wait wait no! I'll stop, don't hang up!"

"Fine. But it's nine in the morning where I am, isn't it like 3 am in Moscow?"

"You're good with time zones." _Way better than with girl stuff_.

"Why are you awake?"

"I couldn't sleep."

"And you wanted me to sing you a lullaby or something?"

"Actually, I wanted to know if countries could catch colds."

"Only if we're in economical difficulties. Why?"

"So if Russia's sleeping on the couch with his stomach exposed I won't need to buy over nine thousand tissue boxes, right?"

"He'll be fine. What happened?"

"He had a bit too much vodka."

"Are you okay?"

"Dude, Ivan's the one passed out not me."

"Yeah but drunk people aren't usually in full control of their actions and if, like you said, Russia finds it natural for people to suffer then he might not have been able to hold back."

"He would never hurt me."

"What makes you so sure?"

"…"

"Irene?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"Stop asking me this, I'm fine!"

"You don't sound fine."

"What do you mean?"

"You would have answered my question if you were alright…"

"…"

The asian boy sighed "I remembered you told me you were a fan of an anime starring us in it, I seriously doubt you didn't know about what kind of stuff affects our health, especially when Russia has lived in the cold for so long. What did you call me for?"

"… He didn't get drunk."

"I know. That guy can drink ten bottles and only feel a little dizzy. I just felt like contradicting you would be the wrong thing to do."

"If we manage to make Russia befriend more countries, it should help, right?"

"So you called me because you were starting to doubt yourself? That's not like you."

"Not like me…" The girl chuckled lightly

"Irene?"

"It's nothing, I just realized something a few minutes ago and… It's nothing, really. Russia's loneliness is worst than I thought and maybe you're right, maybe I don't have as much confidence in my plan as before but I'm not giving up, I would never give up on Ivan."

"Just like he won't hurt you?"

"Exactly like that. Because neither me or Ivan can stand seeing the other hurt."

"Why is that?"

"We both remind each other of someone we failed to protect… I can't believe I'm being so vague" she laughed nervously "I hate it when people are being vague with me. Anyway, it's a very personal subject and even if you are my friend, I don't think I'm comfortable talking about it with you, sorry."

"Then why did you call me? Face it, you need someone to talk to and I'm here… Not here as in in Moscow, I mean he – "

"Yeah, I get it. Thanks for keeping me company, just forget about this conversation, see ya!"

"Wait don – " too late. The line was cut off.

Irene sat on her bed, her right hand still trembling as it held the gun and her left hand slowly loosening its grip on the phone. The conversation took a turn for the worst; she only wanted to hear someone's voice, why did it have to end up focusing on her problems?


	6. 11 A country's metaphor:mental breakdown

**SORRY FOR THE DARK CHAPTER! To make up for it the two or three chapters that will follow will be full of friendship fluff, banana selling grandmas, prehistoric GPS and the frying pangle followed by England's quest and the European conference (Germany's POV) :D**

**Thank ALL the reviewers! (AKA: EchoLily, Kitty the Dinosquirrel, TheAwesomePrussia and HimekoUchia)  
**

******TheAwesomePrussia : Don't worry, she's not suicidal... yet (Nah just kidding)  
HimekoUchia : I'll try to update at least once every two weeks and I'll also try to stay alive (but remember, I can't help it if rainbow ninjas come and kidnap me)**

******OH NO! The disclaimers for the previous ten chapters have escaped to this page (I did not forget about them) : I do not own Hetalia (NOOOOOOOOO! Oh God Why?), I own Irene and the plot.**

**********This chapter comes before the tenth but I thought it would be better to switch them. (More suspense ;P)**

* * *

**Irene **didn't even know one could fly down the stairs at such a speed without falling. Her feet barely touched the wooden steps as she headed for the ground floor of the vast mansion. _Who cares about beating the world record of going down a staircase? _She focused her mind on the task at hand, finding out the origins of the regular glass shattering sound she could hear from her room. It had started a few minutes before and the teen had already lost count of the number of times the eerie noise had resonated between the walls of the house since then, mainly because it was 2 a.m. and her brain was begging for sleep.

She gently turned the kitchen's doorknob and carefully pushed the creaking door to peak in the dark room. A dim ray of moonlight light that pierced the small rectangle window was the only thing keeping Irene from complete blindness and without it; she would never have seen the curled being shivering in the corner. It was big, the size of an armchair but Irene couldn't tell what it was. She quickly took notice of the stench within the room. _Alcohol… that thing must have knocked those bottles out of their cupboard_. She widened the gap between the door and the wall and slid in the kitchen.

The creature flinched, suddenly aware of the girl's presence. Irene expected it to start running away or to cautiously approach her but all she got was a bottle of vodka thrown at her face. It didn't hit her, it landed about twenty centimetres away from her head yet it still hurt. The pain wasn't physical; the pain was in the fact that she noticed the colour of the creature's eyes. Amethyst. Ivan had just tried to kill her.

"I-Ivan?" she asked, her voice shaking

"Irene?" his voice was low, unaccompanied by his usual childish tone. The girl took a step closer to the man "Leave." The harshness in his voice only equalled its sadness

"I'm not leaving." Irene replied with determination.

"Дa, you say that now. In the end, you will leave." The Russian said

"I won't le – " protested the girl

"Everyone leaves" he interrupted in a quiet voice "Everyone leaves!" he then added loud and clear "They all leave!"

The teenager didn't know what to do. The man had always seemed so tall and powerful to her, even as he cried when China became his friend his dignity still remained. Now he was bare. His soul exposed, stripped from the little sanity it had. The Russian was at his most dangerous state yet at his weakest. And Irene couldn't decide on how to react to him. _I could hug him and tell him he's not alone. I could yell at him and calm him down. I could try reasoning with his current state of mind_. The girl took a step closer.

"Leave." He sharply ordered

She took another step.

Irene wanted to tear her eyes away from the pitiful sight; she hated looking down on someone, especially him. But she couldn't. This was reality. These were Russia's true feelings, the ones he usually hid behind his mask.

The girl closed the space between the two of them and raised her hand in an attempt to grab the nation's shoulder. Russia immediately slapped the hand away like a scared cat before glaring in her eyes. The purple orbs stood out from the darkness of the night and for a moment, Irene did nothing but stare at them. There was no hatred in the glare, no anger, only fear. Irene knew those eyes only too well, she had seen them so many times she had learnt their exact meaning. They expressed the fear of losing everything once more, the fear of being alone again. And no one understood that fear better than Irene.

She remembered the feeling she couldn't place a finger on when she first decided to stick with Russia. _Why didn't I realise what it was sooner? How could I not notice it? _Her heart tightened as it only hurt more to see Ivan like that now that she knew what she saw in the man.

The nation abruptly shot up from his balled up position, holding his head as if letting it go meant releasing the Kraken. He swayed violently before pinning himself on the wall, his eyes looking down on Irene from between his gloved fingers. Even thou the girl was forced to tilt her head to keep eye contact with him, she still had the impression of watching him from above. Ivan let out a few painful laughs from his mouth as its corners rotated in a crooked, corrupted smile giving the impression that unless Russia was renamed Insanityland, the man personified the wrong country.

Irene didn't bulge. She couldn't bring herself to be scared of him when she knew it was only a matter of time before she became like that. What he had to endure for centuries, she endured in four years. While people feared him, they pitied her. While harsh winter always surrounded him, it lasted two days for her. While he wore an obvious fake smile, her mask was better, if not perfect. _But in the end, we're the same_.

"Go away! If you do not leave me, you'll stab me in the back!" he predicted between his deranged giggles "Unless you'll become one with Mother Russia, Дa~? Become one with Mother Russia…" He clenched his teeth and squeezed his head between his hands to the point where his fingers almost tore his pale skin. As Irene's eyes gradually got used to the darkness, she started noticing the tears covering his cheeks. His face couldn't decide which emotion to portray and was distorting itself in what looked closer to that of a monster than of a man. "Kolkolkol… Do you know who tainted the sunflowers red?"

"Ivan." Irene took a deep breath to insure her composure "Please calm do –"

"Not just the sunflowers," he continued "I spilled blood all over the snow too! It deserved to be stain… Kolkolkol…"

"Ivan." Her tone was more intense "Listen to me, if you don –"

He burst in a round of crazy laughter as he took out his iron pipe and smashed it against the wall, causing all the glasses standing on the shelves to fall at once. He smashed everything in his range, the table, the sink, until only Iren was left unscratched "This is fun!" his childish voice was back but not without a threatening tone "Why do objects break so easily~? Will I break too one day? Дa! It'll be fu~n!" tears started rolling down his eyes again but his unnatural smile didn't waver "Maybe death is kinder than General Winter."

"Don't you dare to go all suicidal on me!" warned the girl

"Why?" his eyes were wide opened "Don't pretend to care~ No one will mourn my death. No, no. They won't mourn my death. They will celebrate. Big party!" he resumed his rampage, choosing as a victim the window. The glass plate shattered on the floor, adding to the broken vodka bottles and to the fissured glasses. He seized himself again. With a loud cling the iron pipe embraced the floor, released from the giant's grip. His arms covered his face in an unsuccessful attempt to hide himself from the girl standing a few inches away, as still as a statue. "Don't look! I hurt people, I'm not safe… Leave me alone! I won't hurt, I don't want to be hurt... Winter, only General Winter… Дa, he can protect me… He'll make me suffer but I will be protected… Nyet! It's no good… No…"

"Ivan… Please…" the girl's eyes were filled with tears as it was a torture to watch Ivan's mental breakdown. Despite Irene's plead, the nation continued mumbling to himself and rambling on about unrelated problems. _Then there's only one thing left to do_ "Calm down or I pull the fucking trigger."

In reaction to the sudden change of tone, the Russian lifted his eyes to see his guest pointing the gun she took out of her shirt at her own head. Her eyes, thou they were crying, were dead serious and her finger rested on the trigger, ready to pull it.

The feeling of brushing against death once more was unpleasant to the young girl. She hated the touch of the cold metal muzzle against her forehead, she despised the fact that she was offering to sacrifice herself again. _But if it can get his attention this way…_

Ivan remained paralysed for a while, trying to register what was happening. He then slumped on the vodka covered floor and started crying in his hands. _Why is he so small?_ Irene lowered herself to his level and wrapped her arms around the overgrown child "You're not alone and I won't leave you." _Lies_. She knew she was lying. One day she would have to go back to her world. If only she could heal his heart before then.

The hug lasted for a few minutes during which Russia struggled to regain his mask. He finally brought back his signature smile and stood up "Now it is time to sleep, Дa?" He headed towards the living room and collapsed on the couch. He pretended to fall asleep before Irene could remind him his bed was upstairs. The girl sighed as she looked at the mess in the kitchen and slowly decided to go to her room and give in to her heavy eyelids.

"Why did point your gun at your own head?" he asked, surprising Irene

The teenager smiled "Because I knew you didn't want to see yourself get hurt."

"?"

"Good night." She wished

* * *

Irene sat down on her bed trying to stop thinking about the events that occurred just before. _How long will it take for me to end up like that? Who will be there to help me?_ She reached for her new phone and dialed the only number registered._ Please let him be awake, I need to hear someone's voice_.

"Wei?"


	7. 12 Russia's friend list: war decleration

**I have nothing against gay people, as a matter of fact it is very hard for Hetalia fans to get any negative thoughts about gay people. These are only Prussia's thoughts and he has nothing against gays either. He just likes to point out that he is straight… even if he might not be (but that depends on what my reviewers want) ;)**

**Austria's gonna turn a bit OOC but that's because his dignity is being threatened. I'll try to keep him as sane as I can.**

**I own nothing but my OC and the strawberry ice cream and I apologized for my little knowledge on Vienna (everything comes out of Google Maps :D)**

**Thank you for all my reviewers!**

**Here are the less depressive chapters I have promised:**

* * *

**Prussia **was having an awesome day in the city of Vienna; he was visiting the many streets, wandering around aimlessly (he was NOT lost. Awesome people don't get lost.). It was still a bit cold as winter was slowly coming to an end but not cold enough for his strawberry flavoured (strawberry flavour is NOT gay) ice cream to stay in its solid shape. With all the grace he could muster, the ex-nation licked the pink liquid that rolled down his hand. _If I had a map, I'd be in heaven_. Unfortunately, the sweet delicacy eventually came to an end and Gilbert was faced with the horrible truth: he was bored_._ Since his nation title slipped away from him, the albino was left with no country to take care of, thus nothing to do except annoy others. He was planning on annoying Hungary that day but got los - *cough* *cough* - misdirected and now had no idea where to go.

What he did not expect was being tackled, recognized and begged to be hidden by a human. Oh well, shit happens.

He was walking around a corner when a small figure jumped out of nowhere and accidentally pinned his awesome self to the ground. It was a fourteen year old girl with milk chocolate brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and emerald green eyes. She wore a simple black jacket over an orange and yellow stripped shirt and a pair of light blue jeans partially covered by coffee coloured boots. Exhaustion had taken over her and it took her a while to react to the collision. She first apologized in English before widening her eyes as she noticed who she was sitting on top of "Gilbert? Seriously? I am one lucky bitch." The albino opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by the teenager "Where can I hide? I'm being chased around by Austria, you have to help me. Awesome people never ever leave someone in distress alone."

"Could you get off me first?" he asked with his heavy german accent, mentally happy to have been reminded of how awesome he was.

"Oh. Wooops. Sorry." Apologized the girl while standing up "Crap, he's here!"

Gilbert grabbed her hand and concealed her behind a restaurant menu that stood next to them. He gave her a 'Watch my awesome acting' smile before Austria noticed him "Gilbert! Have you seen Hungary and a fourteen year old teenage girl? I have been looking for them for hours."

"You sure look well rested for someone who was walking for that much time." Stated the silver haired man. He wasn't wrong, (awesome people are never wrong) the aristocrat was in perfect state despite the lack of physical activities he indulged in in his everyday life.

"I had a few coffee breaks but I spotted the girl a few minutes ago and started running after her." He explained "Are you sure you haven't seen her?"

"Sure." Affirmed Prussia "What did she do?" The nation's face turned red and his eyes suddenly turned away from the crimson orbs "What did she do?" Gilbert repeated, amused by the country's reaction.

"It's none of your business." Roderich dismissed. He quickly left to resume his search for the two girls in another side of the town.

"What did you do?" curiously asked Gilbert to the refugee. In response, she took off the camera that was dangling on her neck and showed the former nation the more recent photographs. They were of Austria and Russia. Half naked. Together. In very compromising poses.

"I lent Hungary a helping hand." Added the girl with a mischievous smile.

The german man looked stunned "They're in a couple?"

"Nah," answered the teenager "we 'accidentally' spilled coffee on their clothes and pretended to go wash them then we dropped a spider on Austria and Russia had to remove it after he was begged to." She broke in a round of laughter "It was epic! … Until we noticed the flash hadn't been removed and the two nations saw us. Then it turned to hell. I have no idea if Hungary's still alive."

"One more question…" started Prussia "Who are you?"

The girl sighed "My name is Irene, fourteen years old, I was sent to this world by England, where I come from, you guys are an anime and I currently reside in Russia's house." She recited in a monotonous voice, obviously having answered a similar question many times during the time spent in this world.

Prussia was startled by her crazy story but then again, England was involved. An imaginary light bulb popped on top of his head "All that happened at Austria's house, right?" asked the man

"Yup!" the brunette affirmed

"Which means you know how to go back there?" he wondered

"No idea. My sense of direction is nonexiste – Are you lost?" She stared at him incredulously "You're lost? Seriously? PfffHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The man looked offended "I'm not lost… I'm just having trouble remembering the exact way to his house. Awesome people don't get lost. And anyway, you're lost too!"

"Suuuure…" Irene rolled her eyes "In those situations, all we can do is rely on our prehistoric GPS."

"Do I even want to ask?" questioned Gilbert

"Intuition. Technically we pick whichever way we feel like taking." Explained the girl

Prussia smirked "I like that idea."

The well known nokia tune rang as the two started their walk. Irene took her phone out and read the text she had just received from Hungary to Prussia "Hungary has been captured, we are holding her hostage until the camera is in our hands. Location: Rotenturm street." She uttered a foreign swear word before turning to Gilbert "Where is Rotenturm street?"

The red eyes widened "You're planning to rescue her? Do you even realize how strong Russia is?"

"I refuse to let a teammate down!" declared the girl "And you're supposed to be a great strategist, are you telling me you can't come up with a plan to distract Ivan?"

"Of course my awesome self can invent such a simple tactic!" he asserted "But you know… It's Russia…" he shivered as he remembered the horrible relationship the two had.

"I can't believe the 'awesome' Prussia is scared of a country that was defeated by Finland." Irene said with a fake disappointed look "The fan girls would cry if they ever saw you like that."

"I-I'm not scared of him! Just wait and see, my awesome plan will leave him in the dust!" he announced noticing the smirk on the girl's face a little too late "That's unfair! You can't manipulate people like that!" he protested, unheard by the brunette who was covering her ears and chanting 'lalalalala' to block any sound from coming in.

* * *

**Hungary** was swinging and swinging and swinging in hope that the chains would break. She didn't mind the Austrian citizens looking at her hanging from a tree, why would she care? It's not like this was part of the country she represented anymore. No, she minded the two guard dogs. Austria was leaning against the same tree holding her captive, listening to classical music on an old mp3 player while Russia was staring at her with his usual smile. _'Look into my eyes…' the pale man said, leaving Roderich no choice but to comply. The purple orbs reflected his image; he was at his weakest, unable to defend against the giant as the latter leaned down and pressed his lips against the smaller nation's. Not that he wanted to fight back either. Slowly the dark haired man responded to the tender embrace and wrapped his arm aro_ – **bip bip bip! Bip bip bip!** Elizaveta snapped out of her daydream and watched as her former husband fiddled with her phone.

"Irene replied, Дa?" asked the northern country, even if it was more of an affirmation than a question.

"Yes," answered the aristocrat "She says: 'This means war.'" The female country bit her lip. _Don't sacrifice yourself for me, as long as the pictures are safe I do not mind being tortured!_ She wanted to shout.

The Russian man let out a small laugh "She likes to dramatize things." His intimidating aura drove all the passerby away but unlike what Hungary expected, Austria's reaction was much different; he let out a smaller yet equally threatening aura.

"I can't wait until we catch her." He said with an evil grin. _Evil!Austria! Why is he so hot when he's OOC? Evil!Austria and Tsundere!Switzerland… Not bad… I should go talk to Japa – Wait that's not the problem! RUN IRENE, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!_

…

_Is it me or are Russia and Austria reconciled?_


	8. 13 Russia's friend list: The alliance

**Okay… Maybe saying I'll update every two weeks was a bit ambitious for my lazy procrastinating self. I'll try to write faster and more but I have exams coming up and after four years of not working and relying on common sense, I have decided it was time to start making a bit of effort. Yay… (' -.-)**

**But rejoice! The updates should be really quick from now on as the time in the story matches the time in real life (ex: This arc is happening around April – May) and I have four chapters to write before the end of May (hint: The cat festival's in May :D) (I seriously doubt I'll make it)**

**Anywho, sorry again for my little knowledge on the city of Vienna, I completely ditched Google map so this is purely my imagination speaking thus I have avoided writing descriptions.**

* * *

**Prussia** started at the old lady in front of him as if she had just announced he had cancer. Did she just say that…?

"Is the way to Rotenturm street that incredible? Let me guess, we're gonna have to find eight keys, fight two boss battles and brave a desert to reach destination. Unless she just revealed the meaning of life to you, I doubt you should continue making that weird fish face expression." Irene said. The Prussian and the grandma didn't break off eye contact, instead, the woman's glare turned up on an intensity scale. The teen was surprise by the hatred she could literally see oozing from the elder "Seriously, is she an old girlfriend of yours you slept with and never called back? It looks like she wants to rip off both your eyes and poke your eyes out of their sockets with a Hello Kitty chopstick… Simultaneously."

The albino had trouble saying anything. He was not scared! He's not scared of old grandmas! This one was just a bit… intimidating. She would probably have been able to compete against Russia in a glare-innocent-people-who-never-did-anything-to-you-to-death contest. _Nah, no one beats crazy Iva – okay… maybe she does_. As the near blind brown eyes pierced deeper into the former empire's soul, the latter had more and more trouble getting his voice to produce any sound; never once had he seen a stranger hating him so much, and all he did was ask for directions! _Is that impolite nowadays? What the kartoffel did my awesome self ever do to piss her off? Women_…

"Don't you understand Austrian?" impatiently asked the girl "Might I remind you that the Austro-russian alliance can fall on us any moment from now? Let's just ask someone else!"

The teenager's voice brought Gilbert back to reality "Austrian isn't a language," he corrected "She speaks the awesome german language!" a proud smile appeared on his lips but disappeared as quickly due to the imaginary daggers he could feel stabbing him.

Irene's eyes opened wide "Austrian isn't a language? My whole life is a lie! Tell me cookies exist."

"What?" questioned the ex-nation

"TELL ME COOKIES EXIST! TELL ME THEY'RE REAL! THIS IS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH!" insisted the brunette while shaking her strategist. "GILBERT BEILSCHMIDT I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU DON'T SAY COOKIES ARE REAL CONCRETE OBJECTS AND NOT CREATIONS OF MY SCREWED UP TEENAGE MIND, I WILL EAT GILBERT FOR BREAKFAST. FRIED. WITH MAPLE SYRUP."

"They're real! Calm down. What's wrong with you?" asked the albino

"Sorry," the girl apologized "I tend to overreact when one of the facts I believed in for so long turns out to be wrong. I hate not knowing something or being badly informed. It makes me feel stupid. And a good brain is pretty much my only good point."

"You're a nerd?" the man wondered in disbelief

"I prefer the term intellectually talented. Why does that surprise everyone? Do I look that dumb?" before Gilbert could reply, the old woman coughed to remind the two of her (unfortunate) presence. Her wrinkled hands grabbed Irene's and with a look of compassion she asked something of her. And of course, Irene just had to use the traditional if-you-don't-understand-just-nod-and-smile technique in response. I took five seconds and a grandma coming out of her banana stand with a knife for the white haired man to react. The young man quickly grabbed his accomplice and ran awa – strategically retreated from the crazy old woman.

"What's happening? What did she say? Should I have answered 'no'?" asked the teenager while running nest to Gilbert

"A potential murderer has chosen me to be her next target, she asked if I was your boyfriend and yes." Hastily answered the young man. "Do I really look like someone who tries to get in the pants of high school girl? I'm no paedophile!"

"Seeing the people you date are around twenty years old and you're like centuries old, I think it's safe to assume the term paedophile mat be used to describe you." Irene contradicted with a grin, trying to keep up with the man's quick pace.

"I don't have a dating li – Uh… I mean the awesome me is no paedophile!" denied Prussia

"You don't date? Pfffff HAHAHAHAHA! I knew you were quite the get-away-from-any-feminine-life-form type of guy during your Teutonic knight era but seriously? Even now? HAHAHA…ha…ha…" Gilbert noticed the girl was all red when her laughter became intertwined by heavy breathing. She was slowing down and holding her sides. The albino sighed, he decided to take on America's job for once and be the hero, only he would be the awesome hero, he grabbed the girl and slung her over his shoulder, carrying her like a bag of potatoes. Speaking of potatoes… When was the last time I drank with West?

"What the …?" Irene had time to exclaim before she noticed the psychopath still following them, she let out a foreign swear word and warned the Prussian "She's still there! What does she eat to be so full of energy? Batteries?"

"The less you talk the easier it is for me to – humpf!" Gilbert stumbled back from the collision, he was more muscular than the man he bumped into thus sending the latter to the ground "I'm sorry, I didn – Austria?"

"Ah, Gilbert. Could you help me fin – Irene?" the aristocrat asked noticing the girl being carried like merchandise by his fellow personification.

"RUN!" Irene yelled, reminding the albino of the Austrian old hag chasing after them. Prussia quickly took off in another direction while the teen observed with horror the formation of an Austrio-russio-hag alliance. They turned a few more corners before being confident they had lost their pursuers.

"Damn! Now they know my awesome self sided with you! Remind me why I chose to?" the oldest of the two wondered

"Beats me. It's too late to turn back anyway." Smirked the girl "Let's just try to find Hungary to free her."

"Well that's two things you can cross from you list." Informed a woman's voice. Hungary slumped on the wall of the alley they took refuge in to catch her breath "Is the camera okay?" Irene pointed to the gadget hanging around her neck and earned a relieved look from the female nation.

"Hello to you too, I'm fine thank you." Sarcastically answered Gilbert

"I see you haven't changed, товарищ." They all looked up to see a pair of beautiful amethyst eyes.

* * *

**Hungary **felt like thanking God for making her a woman. Few man carried nail files with them. Of course, the meagre weapon could only inflict so little damage on the metal chain but mixed with a country's strength, even a fly could become a bullet. The last inconvenience standing between Elizaveta and the pictures was a powerful giant well known for having mental problems. _Meh. Finland managed to fight him_. The ash blond man smiled innocently at the woman. _Then again, Finland is much more than he seems. I wonder if he really allows Sweden to be dominant… I can totally picture uke Sweden! Not the right time to be doing that. So… after I break the chains… Who am I kidding? There's only one thing I can do anyway_.

The girl slowly started cutting the metal links and eventually fell to the ground with as little noise as she could make when Russia found himself distracted by whatever was keeping his attention. She began to run and barely had time to sprint a few meters before the cold country began his chase and managed a few more before she got caught.

"Let me go!" she yelled

"Het. You are the bait." He responded. _Think brain, think! Screw my weak female body! Am I supposed to stay captive and wait for a prince charming? There's no way I'm doing tha – I'm a woman. I'm a woman! A poor defenceless young girl!_

"Help! I'm being molested!" she yelled out "That man's a pervert!" Ivan weakened his grip on the girl by surprise, She took the opportunity to pull out her frying pan and swung it towards the tall man's stomach, giving her enough time to make an escape. She wondered in the Austrian town until she heard Irene's voice. _Thank god she's okay!_ She quickly joined her new friend and Prussia who seemed to have been dragged against his will in this mini war. Little did she know, a Russian had managed to follow her.


	9. 14 Russia's friend list: Boobproof

**You may forget what I have said in the previous author's note, following the real time is waaaaaay to hard for me due to the following reasons:  
1) I am too lazy to motivate myself even to do things I enjoy  
2) Mostly for reason 1) actually.**

**But I will try my best at writing regularly, so don't worry :D**

**As for the lack of proof reading my work like MooseSlayer has been so kind to point out… OH LOOK! THE FLYING MINT BUNNY! *procrastinating author runs away from the question***

**Thanks to all the reviewers and none reviewers who enjoyed my story! (I do have to say reviews make me happy, and happy authors are more motivated. Don't worry, I don't bite… *cough* yet *cough* so feel free to send me feedback :D)**

**This chapter has been hell to write due to a major writer's block. Thank you for your cooperation.  
As for Austria, I might have made him a bit OOC but I just can't picture him as being the guy who pays a lot of attention at the people close to him.**

* * *

**Prussia** couldn't move. He was terrified of Russia. Well, not terrified per se, awesome people don't get terrified…

Okay, maybe he was terrified.

Just a bit…

A lot.

The moment he became aware of the other's presence his whole body froze and his senses surrendered to panic. It was an interesting experience as he literally felt submerged by water but nothing can tilt the balance back when Russia is standing less than half a meter away from you. _Calm down, you're awesome man_. _You're 100% calm… Calmer than a sedated sloth… HOLY SHIT RUSSIA'S HANDS ARE ON MY SHOULDERS! HOLYSHITHE'SPICKINGMEUP! ? HELP! HEEEEEEEEEEELP!_

* * *

**Hungary **felt bad for leaving her albino friend behind but she knew that sacrifices were essential during a war_. Your loss won't be vain_… She had managed to shake off Russia once again and carried Irene on her back.

"We can't just abandon Prussia!" the latter said

"We can only get him back in an exchange and that would mean giving away the camera." The Hungarian responded

Irene thought for a while before coming up with an idea "How about we capture Austria? We could convince him to help us."

Elizaveta looked unsure "We have in our possession compromising pictures of him… I doubt he'll be willing to help us."

"Did you see yourself?" asked the teen "On a scale from one to ten, one being an abandoned and mutilated shoe and ten being Aphrodite, you're a twelve! Why are all the countries drop dead gorgeous anyway?"

"Thanks," Hungary smiled "But the same could be said with you." The younger of the two was taken aback and a blush formed on her cheeks. "Not used to being told you're pretty?"

"First time coming from a non blood related mouth." Admitted the girl "A-Anyway, I was saying you should seduce him or something. Austria is still a man and no man is immune to a hot girl like you."

"We could try it…" agreed the nation "But I don't have much confidence in my feminine side."

"Make sure half your boobs are visible and keep your frying pan… wherever you usually hide it. I'll coach you on it while we look for him, but first we'll have to stop by multiple shops." Instructed the fan girl.

"And how do we find Roderich?" asked Elizaveta

"Can you hear the old woman shouting in the distance?" asked Irene, receiving a nod from the country "That's where he most likely is. We're going to have to distract the hag thou… I'm not on her hit list but I'd rather avoid crossing path with her."

* * *

**Austria** wanted to catch the runaways, they had after all insulted his pride by taking a picture of him in his most embarrassing state. It was far from being the first time (living close to Hungary and all) but it still pissed him off and after having kept it in for so long, it was time for him to snap. He replayed the scene many time in his head, the one where Prussia, Hungary and Irene are forced to beg him for forgiveness after he crushed the camera with his bare hand as Beethoven's music played in the background. It was of course slightly harder to make it a reality with his hands tied together by a rope and with the horrible recent music playing.

The old hag had proven herself to be of little help; a simple hot guy had been enough to attract her attention (can she still be categorized as a cougar?) and take her mind off chasing the albino. The passage of the kind and attractive man itself was suspicious; he was obviously showing off and made sure to remain in the grandma's sight until she decided to strike a conversation with him, giving a large window of opportunity for the Hungarian woman to kidnap Roderich.

Something was different about his fellow nation, she seemed somehow more… mannered? _Did she finally understand the importance of acting more lady like? No, the light is probably playing a trick on my mind. Or maybe it's the fact that she dragged me instead of carrying me like a princess? It could also be because she brought me to a restaurant instead of finding an alley to keep me hidden_…

"Roderich…" the female nation started with an innocent smile on her face, one that translated weakness and confusion "I'm sorry for tying you up but I can't risk your escape before you hear what I have to say."

The aristocrat was taken aback. _Are those tears?_ Elizaveta looked serious and hurt at the same time and Austria could only muster pity towards her "Are you okay?"

"Kind of" she answered while looking at her feet under the table

"Where is Irene?" the man asked

"She went to rescue Gilbert." Sincerely responded the brunette "How do you like my clothes?" she said spreading her arms out to give him a better view.

The hostage was surprised "I didn't notice you changed…" Hungary was wearing casual clothes, a low neck blue shirt and a black skirt that almost reached her knees. _Is that different from the usual? What does she usually wear?_ His eyes wandered back to the woman's face "It looks great, mind telling me what's wrong now?"

He might have imagined it but Hungary's expression seemed pissed for a few second before she regained her helplessness. She bent closer to her former husband, not cutting off eye contact and grabbed his tied hands "Irene won't be able to retrieve Gilbert… He's terrified of Russia! What will I do if he dies from coughing up to much blood?"

"That's ridiculous!" protested the four-eyes "Personifications don't die!"

"Maybe we can't but Prussia has already fallen! His reason to remain has been long gone! I'm so scared… What if the shock of encountering his trauma causes him to… to… disappear?" she said the last word as if it tore her heart to even mention it "You have to help me save him!"

"Why are you trying so hard to help him? Aren't you strong enough to do it yourself?" he asked.

"I hate to admit it but I'm a woman. It used to be so easy to overlook it, now I can see my body clearly isn't as strong as yours. I'm weak." She bit her crimson lips in shame_. Is she wearing make up? When the hell did she get the time to do a full body make over?_ "As for the reason I am begging you to help Gilbert…" she placed his hands on her chest, under which her heart was beating faster than usual "It's because I love him."

"…" Roderich stared at her for a while "You just don't want to have to hand over the picture to get him, don't you?"

Irene came out from under the table much to the Germanic country's surprise "What are you? Boobproof? A woman? Blind? Gay? Paedophile? Heartless? She was literally throwing herself at you! Did you even pass puberty or do you still think a bird comes by and drops a baby in front of a couple's doorstep?" she turned to her accomplice "At least tell me he couldn't keep his eyes off your cleavage or your lips…"

"They stayed on my eyes the whole time. He didn't even notice I was wearing different clothes until I mentioned it." Informed the female country with a pout

"Seriously, what are you to resist to a woman's most lethal weapon?" The fan girl asked. The two nation's looked at her in the same way a five year old looked after hearing the word 'ubiquitous' "Tears! Acting! Don't you nations know anything about socializing?"

"The social rules have changed during the centuries of our existence." Reminded Ivan.

"Don't worry, I wasn't talking about you, you're excused 'cause one, it's not your fault you're easily misunderstood and two, you're the awesomest Hetalia character – HOLY SHIT! When did you get here?" the teenager screamed, alarming the whole restaurant.


	10. 15 Russia's friend list: Run for it

**Look at that, I managed to upload within one week! Some people should take example on me, right? Right? (You know who you are, don't feign ignorance)**

**Thank you to Echolily for pointing out the nerd/geek difference, they meant the same in my head but being a french native speaker, I forgive myself for misusing english words, hope you can do the same :)**

**Thank you to ALL the reviewers! (insert meme here)**

**I should be studying... You probably should too... I bet we could all do so many incredible things if it wasn't for lazyness.**

**Sorry for Aushun fans... there will be a bit of Pruhun hints but you can just ignore them**

* * *

**Russia** smiled as the iron pipe came crashing down on the table, snapping the wooden plank like a meagre twig. He chose to ignore the 'barbaric' that slid from Austria's mouth as the latter flinched in response to the act of violence and focused on the two girls, both wearing a very obvious 'oh shit' face. Fighting with an unconscious Prussian slung over his shoulder wasn't the best idea and the northern nation chose to drop him, as in drop him literally.

The meeting with the cold polished floor tore Gilbert from his half dead state. He grunted snapped his head in Ivan's direction, ready to let out all the insults he knew but before he could even realize the man who dropped him was his worst fear, something else caught his attention. Someone else.  
"Holy shit Liz… What happened to you?"

He would be lying to himself if Russia said he hadn't noticed the female country, for once she looked like a normal woman, almost human. But something was off, sure she looked astonishing yet… unnatural. It didn't take long to deduct Irene was behind the sudden change, the teenager was grinning at the albino's reaction, proud of her work. Upon seeing the camera hanging around her neck, his mind drifted back to what he came here to do.  
"Irene, hand me the camera, Дa?"

"Never!" Irene replied, covering the electronical device with her arms. The teen had taken a few steps back since the arrival of the former Soviet Union and wasn't in the reach of a single lunge anymore. Not that he planned to lunge at her at all, that would be acceptable towards a fellow country but it would hurt – if not kill – a human. That and the fact he wasn't actually that serious about getting the picture back, he only went with Austria's mood and it was sort of fun to chase people down.

Hungary stood up (it was pretty awkward to sit on a chair in front of a murdered table) and closed the distance between her and the giant, doing her best to keep her fear only for her to see.  
"I – I won't let you lay a finger on Irene!" she declared

Both of her arms were suddenly immobilised as Austria held her tight with both arms forcing her shoulders against his.  
"You shouldn't let your guard down just because my hands are tied, wooden shards make great knives you know."

"Your personality turns 180 degrees when your pride is hurt, I don't think you've ever made such intense physical contact with me when we were married, Roderich dear. " she teased

"Now it's just me and you, Дa?" Ivan said to Irene.

"Let me go!" Hungary yelled, trashing and landing a few hits on Austria, who to everyone's surprise, managed to hold his ground.

"Really? 'Cause I don't think Austria will be able to hold her for long." Replied Irene, playfully staring in Russia's eyes.

"Gilbert!" Elizaveta called "Help Irene!" the ex nation continue to stare blankly with drool coming out of his mouth "GIL, STARE AT MY BOOBS ANY LONGER THAN THAT AND I SWEAR YOU'LL PUKE BLOOD AND LOOSE FOUR EYELASHED AT THE VERY SIGHT OF ANY KITCHEN UTENSILE!"

The yelling caught his attention and the young man found himself running towards Irene and grabbing the camera from her hands. Ivan was quick to realize the intentions behind Prussia's actions. As a personification, the latter was quicker, stronger and more agile than any human, giving more chances of escaping from a superpower like Russia. But he also knew that the very moment he would manage to get within a meter of the albino, the german would be submerged in fear.

Unfortunately Irene wasn't going to sit there and watch.

Instead she found tripping the massive nation entertaining.

"Oooops, my bad." She 'apologized' while flashing her mischievous smile.

"I – I thought you were my friend…" whimpered the ash blond haired man with tears in his eyes "Why are you doing this to me? Were you lying when you said you'd always be there for me?"

The teenager's smile quickly faded "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel like that," she got down on her knees to help the Russian up "I didn't think it would upset you that much, this isn't meant to be serious you know? Austria was supposed to – hey!" her apology was interrupted by the weight shift and in less than a second, she found herself crushed by Ivan's strength. The soviet held both of her wrists in one hand and hurled a chair he found nearby (possibly by pushing its occupant off)towards Gilbert, almost hitting him.

"I know you would never do anything to hurt me." Smiled the tall man

"Jerk! Don't play with other people's emotions!" retorted the girl

"Isn't that what you did on the plane? I'm just learning, Дa?" replied the nation. He picked up another chair and threw it at the Prussian again.

"Are you out of your mind?" yelled his 'awesomeness' "There are civilians in here, what if you hurt them?" He dodged another chair and continued running between tables, terrifying Austrian citizens.

With a quick movement, Hungary managed to elbow her former husband and free herself, she quickly tried to tackle Russia as the imposing country had both hands occupied, one restraining Irene and the other grabbing a chair. Unfortunately the man was as stable as a wall and the woman ended up accidentally hugging him. Which for some reason pissed Gilbert off. Which drove him to charge at Ivan, forgetting all about his fear. Which gave the latter an excellent opportunity to grab the camera after dropping the chair. Which resulted in a camera that looked more similar to England's cooking than to an actual camera.

"Damn it Gilbert!" scolded the yaoi fan "Why did you do that?"

"Spur of the moment?" he hesitantly answered

"Don't blame him," sighed the teen before grinning "He had his own reasons I believe."

The albino turned red and muttered something involving 'awesome' and 'unawesome' stuff before sulking. Hungary remained oblivious to whatever Irene had suggested.

"Well, thank god that's done." Roderich said reverting himself back to his usual stick-up-his-ass attitude "Should we get back to my house?"

"Um… I think we're not going to be able to leave this place that easily…" warned Irene "And since we kind of smuggled me in the plane I'd rather not get caught."

The nations looked around to assess the damaged they had caused.

"It's not that much." Defended Hungary

"No, you're right, it's just half a dozen of broken tables, twice the number of smashed chairs and the whole clientele traumatized to life, it's nothing." Sarcastically agreed the younger brunette.

"Point taken." Replied Austria "I don't want to be caught in my own country."

They all headed towards the restaurants double doors trying their best at ignoring everyone's stares before they were stopped by who seemed to be the manager.  
"_Not so fast! Who is going to pay for all the damage?_(german)" he was obviously frightened by the inhuman strength the nations had demonstrated but he decided to try and stand tall, which meant he barely got to Russia's chest height.

"Run for it?" suggested Irene.

"Run for it." Confirmed Elizaveta


	11. 16 Russia's friend list: Hungary

**Okay, before you kill me for being REALLY late in my update, let me tell you all about the past month in my life: EXAMS. I don't know about you guys but in French schools, we finish on the 29****th**** of June which is why you didn't get a new chapter before. But anyway, sorry.**

**I don't know if I'll have access to internet during the summer holidays and I want to work on artworks for this story, my profile picture and one or two friends' stories so please excuse the delay. I will however update at least once a month. **

**I suppose you're confused about when the story is happening (I am too) so let's just set the time to mid march 2012 (explaining why it is still a bit cold).**

**Henry's just a random character but he might come back later. It is okay if you forget about him, his importance is minor. On the other hand, even if she doesn't appear in this chapter, keep in mind that the old lady hasn't said her last words yet ;)**

**Long author note is long. Long Austria ark is long too (I expected it to last three chapters maximum). Oh well, here's a potato for the 9gaggers. Potato.**

* * *

**Henry** had seen a lot of different things during his five years as a police officer in the beautiful city of Vienna. He had witnessed drunk fights between men and lampposts, mothers forgetting their babies on board, teenagers setting their house on fire… These events may seem unoriginal at first glance, but when you were expecting to be called upon for robberies and murders, people believing the police force is the answer for the least worry come to you as a surprise… and a major disappointment. Really, before this rather… exotic day, Henry had found himself doubting the profession he chose.

What is so special about that day you ask? Well first, Henry's team was summoned to a restaurant for a case of severe property damage done by a group of highly suspicious people. For once it seemed like a serious job and not a grandma-lost-her-cat problem. Second, the suspects ran away. Finally some action in this town! Third, the fugitives weren't exactly your typical criminals. A simple glance at the running party could tell you they were special. Not good special, but not bad special either, just different.

The group was led by an albino wearing casual clothes who radiated an aura that clearly said his ego was far superior than it should be. Following close was a woman with long brown hair who looked ready for a date, her fit body obviously indicated she was no stranger to exercise but her clumsiness showed she wasn't well acquainted with heels. Between the leading group of two young adults and the struggling group far behind ran a freakishly tall man. He was heavily dressed despite the fading cold and his purple eyes and ash blond hair gave him a mysterious feel – Or maybe just a get-on-my-nerves-and-I'll-rip-your-limbs-off-one-by-one-before-feeding-you-to-hungry-mutated-chikens feel. Second to last was a serious looking man with dark hair exhausted from the run. Henry respected that man for a reason he ignored, the simple presence of this aristocratic man stirred warm emotions within his heart. The last member was a girl no older than fifteen, out of all of them she was the most ordinary. No over the top beauty, weird clothing choice or impressing aura. She seemed more human, closer to Henry than any other fugitive… literally.

"Let me go!" the girl screamed as Henry grabbed her left arm "That hurts!" The police officer ignored the teenager and brought her closer to him, tightening his grip as he did so "OW! ARE YOU DEAF OR DEAF? I SAID IT FUCKING HURTS!" the young brunette yelled with a face distorted by pain.

"You're exaggerating." He coldly dismissed, german accent as strong as ever "I'm using the least force I can." He hated being cold to others, especially to young offenders, but the job requested it and anyway, he wasn't lying. Loosening his grip even a little meant releasing the girl and after all the trouble he went through to capture her, he refused to make the sacrifice.

"Damn it Irene! You got caught? How unawesome!" complained the albino. The girl gave no response, she only bit her lip to keep tears from rolling down her red face "Irene?"

The lack of reaction obviously worried her teammates, especially the tallest one. The latter started to go back on his steps as soon as his eyes landed on the girl's facial expression, his eyes determined to do whatever it takes to obtain her freedom. Henry had no doubt the imposing man would have smashed his head against one of the two walls on either side - in this narrow space, a simple swipe with his arm would have been enough to do so - if it wasn't for the man with glasses who stopped him.

"_Ivan_, hurt my citizen and you'll have World War three on your conscience." He threatened. _My citizen?_

"In that case you should tell him to release his grip, Дa?" replied the obviously Russian man "Unless you look forward to spending five years worrying about allies and weapons... _Roderich_."

"Guys? How about you fight later?" suggested the Hungarian woman "And uhm… police officer? What do you say about letting her go?"

Henry frowned. Four against one. That wasn't usually a very advantageous position to be in, quite the opposite actually. But then again, the dark haired man seemed set on defending him, moreover, he also called him 'my citizen', That Roderich guy couldn't be a bad man. Come to think of it, the woman seemed to be a calm and gentle one despite her athletic body structure. And the albino looked irritating but well intentioned none the less. Not to forget the girl was way too young to be a criminal.

"Why did you destroy that restaurant?" he found himself asking, switching his grip to the teenager's other arm. The girl relaxed. _Weird_.

Said teenager found her voice "We didn't mean to damage anything. Let's just say a prank might have gone overboard… Might have."

The other female presence sighed "And it was such a beautiful picture too… Pity."

Roderich tensed "Please don't even think of doing that again."

The giant dropped his creepy I-wonder-what-beautiful-shape-your-body-will-make-once-I'm-done-with-you smile for a more innocent, fake expression "I agree with my colleague… Though I must admit today was a lot of fun."

"Fun?" asked the albino, stuttering a bit due to his obvious fear of the other "We ran all over Vienna just for a stupid camera, we almost started a new war, we are now treated as criminals and you call this fun? Wow, your mind is as screwed up as ever."

The ash blond's face darkened "But don't you see it? I thought you were just as lonely as me…" he ignored the german's blatant lie ("I like being alone!") and carried on with a slight blush and a sincere smile "We both got to fight alongside allies again, forget about past rivalries and spend a whole day without worrying about official duties. I-I really liked today, it was different from the usual dull and lonely days." He faced the youngest person present "It all went according to your plan, Дa?"

The other three displayed surprise on their faces "What plan?" questioned the aristocratic man.

"I noticed you were doing anything to get me to relax, very small things at first but this… this… this is the most fun I had since my sisters left." He admitted with embarrassment "Thank y-"

_Krshhhhh. Krshhhhh "Squad five to Henry, squad five to Henry"_ the portable radio declared in german.

"Henry receiving." Responded the wary police officer

_Krshhhhh "Backup is arriving in less than two." Krshhhhh._ The radio announced

He looked at the fugitives. Then at the radio. Then at the fugitives again.

**LINEBREAK**

**Henry **had done very few things that could be considered as 'out of line' in his life, none to be more precise… Until that day. He slumped on the couch as the realization of what he'd just done sunk in_. I just jeopardized my carrier and my whole life. Oh god help me, I think I'm screwed. What about my wife and sons? Will they be seen as related to a coward who betrayed his country?_

"Here, have some tea." Suggested the Hungarian woman "You can call me Elizaveta by the way." He stared at her with a blank expression, unable to find words.

"So what is your name officer?" wondered the owner of the house, back straight and sipping from his cup with elegance and dignity.

Henry shrugged "Don't call me officer… I'm probably ripped from that title. Why did I ever choose to help you?" his eyes obviously showed panic and confusion.

Roderich smiled "That's the question I was going to ask you." The married man looked up in disbelief. That man he felt so loyal to was smiling at his problems? Why couldn't he see how bad the situation was? He was so inconsiderate! _But if that is so, why can't I find in my heart hate to spare for him?_

"I-I'm not sure… I just felt like you weren't bad guys. The simple idea if sentencing innocents is so repulsing to me – and – and that girl is young – I – I – didn't have the courage to ruin her future! The way you talked to each other without even worrying about what you had just done… I don't know what went through my head. Before I knew it I was helping you escape from my co-workers." He blurted out.

"How do you feel about working for the United Nations?" suddenly suggested the dark haired man "As a bodyguard for Austria's representative?" He waited for an answer but seeing the officer was too busy trying to register the words that came out from the austrian's mouth, he resumed "Due to the rather… hard to handle personality of every representative, bodyguards and managers tend to quit for the sake of their sanity. Mine did so a few months ago and the way you decided not to blindly follow orders from your superiors impressed me. So what do you say?"

"Could you stop speaking german please? I don't understand anything and it sounds interesting." complained the teenager prying on their conversation from the other side of the couch. Roderich sighed and summarized everything in English. "Hey Ivan!" she called "Did your bodyguard quit too?"

"Het." The tall man denied between two sips of 95% vodka and 5% tea (no one dared to point out it was obvious the 5% tea were nonexistent) "Both me and America were deemed able to protect ourselves."

"Wait a second, why have I never seen any bodyguards before?" Irene asked

The older woman smiled "Firstly because the only ones who didn't quit are Japan's, Lithuania's, Ukraine's, Finland's and Egypt's and because their job isn't to protect the country but information from being heard by anyone, themselves included." She paused "How's your arm?"

Henry suddenly felt guilty as he remembered he was the cause of the girl's pain "I'm really sorry about that, I didn't know my grip hurt that much and -"

"You don't have to blame yourself for anything," forgave Irene "I just happened to have an old injury on that arm and you couldn't have known. Anyway, it's fine now as long as I don't put any strength in it so don't worry."

"That's explains why only carried stuff with your right arm when we cleaned the storage." Noted the Russian man. "How did it happen?"

The girl grimaced "Ski accident…" she glanced at her watch and shot up from the comfortable seat "We're gonna miss our flight if we don't leave now!"

It took a while for Ivan to realize the topic had changed. He nodded, waved goodbye and followed the younger girl to the door.

* * *

**Hungary** did enjoy the day too but remained disappointed at her loss. She started cleaning the house she used to live in, out of habit, leaving Austria and Henry alone together (needless to say she had a minor nosebleed) as the nation explained everything about their existence to the human. Her eyes fell on the dining table where a little note and a metallic square were left:

"Thank you for helping me! Austria's not as scared of Russia as before and you guys got to see his true feelings for a bit. Not only that but he got a fun day off so it's a double win! :D  
And now for my end of the deal; Russia and Austria were wrong to underestimate my brain, lucky they didn't check if the memory card was in when they smashed the camera! ;) Have fun!

Irene"

The female nation smiled. It seemed Irene forgot to mention one thing; Hungary wasn't scared of Russia anymore and whenever she would get the opportunity, befriending the giant wouldn't be a bad idea.

* * *

**Reviews won't hurt. Unless you're giving me the silent treatment for being late. Once again, I'm sorry. Cookies?**


	12. 17 England's quest: Holy magic

**Hello, PaperDreeam here! First of all, to all of you fellow writers out there, I highly suggest yuo save your work AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN. Really. I just had to rewrite the whole second half (and frankly, I think it was better the first time) because my grandmother's 'laptop' (you know those computer conceived especially for techno illiterates?) had no more battery. Yay. Also, always check your computers charger is actually hooked to electricity before leaving home.  
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**Anywho, i'm using an AZERTY keyboard right now and as the many spelling mistakes show, I am NOT used to it. So LittleBlondCanadianMoose (yes, I still do not approve your name change) TRY PROOFREADING AFTER TYPING OVER TWO THOUSAND WORDS WITH AN AZERTY! I'm a patient person, a very patient person. But everyone has his limits and mine lay at computers who miss F****** right clicks and french keyboards.  
**

**Anywho number (This computer doesn't have the 'number' symbol either... Wonder if it resists being thrown against a brick wall?) two, I don't know if you noticed but I drew (*cough* half finished *cough*) a cover art for my story which - thanks to the awesome change to the website - has been uploaded on fanfiction :D !  
**

**Anywho number (I AM CALM) three, this was supposed to take a single chapter... but...  
**

* * *

**Canada** was really starting to doubt the strength of England's secret services, especially after the latter mixed up blueprints and infiltrated Italy's house with the plan of Taiwan's. Not to mention, _why the maple did he have a plan of the young asian island?_ Fortunately, with his years of experience, the North American nation had learnt how to handle different types of personalities and England was definitely not the kind of guys whose motives one should question. But what could he do now? The whole strategy was based around the shape of the house, they somehow got separated and all he had was a lamp torch, in midday (other very helpful element given by England's great planning).

The house was a real maze, beautiful place but a maze none the less. Statues, paintings and micro nations filled the once huge mansion making it impossible to ignore to country's inherita – Micro nations? Canada backed up to confirm his eyes weren't tricking him. Random floater, check. Weird ahoge, check. Useless aura, check. _Maple! We forgot about Seborga! _As if on cue, the Italian nation noticed Matthew, he flashed a killer smile and frowned when he realized the latter was no girl.

"What are you doing here… uh… you?" he asked with the irritating Italian accent

"Visiting." Lied Canada, surprised to have been seen "I've always admired Italian culture and all… I'm Canada by the way."

"Oh!" The brunet exclaimed "You're that useless chunk of land next to America!"

The blond felt offended "And you are the great Seborga, right hand of lord Sealand first world superpower." He replied full of sarcasm

"I'm just that great even countries like Can… Man.. Lopinana remember me!" cheered the oblivious Italian. _The inability to read the atmosphere must run in their veins_.

"Lopinana isn't even close to Canada!" complained the northern nation

"It finishes in –ana!" retorted Seborga "Same thing."

"And I was speaking with sarcasm." sighed the close to invisible country, _and Canada does not finish in -ana_. "Gosh you're worst than Sealand."

"Oh look! Girls!" the micro nation quickly forgot about the other and ran to flirt with the beautiful ladies_. Italian political women_… Canada thought as he rolled his eyes.

* * *

**England**'s plan was perfect, flawless! If only the map wasn't printed backwards… Because we all know it was only printed backwards. There's no way Arthur would make such a dumb mistake as taking the wrong map! And it was the French speaking nations' fault they got separated, Britain did NOT abandon Carm… Plan… Americanda in the middle of the mansion, nor did he knock France unconscious for inappropriate touching. (A smile crept on the man's lips as he remembered the glorious moment his fist met the bearded face). He totally wasn't the reason Candia was missing in action and France lying on the floor God knows where. And he wasn't lost! The simple idea that the great nation had no idea where he was was ridiculous, absurd!

So maybe he did not have knowledge of the exact location of his whereabouts. That was of no importance. He could always… always… _Damn it! What can I do?_... Find a way out. Somehow. Or continue to explore. _Shut it pirate instinct, now's not the time!_ Exploring… The idea roamed around his mind_. You do not have the luxury to randomly follow your heart anymore, we are not exploring_, he scolded himself. England felt his heart complain but resisted the temptation to fall back on his young day's habits.

It was far from the first time Arthur's past pirate habits ha attempted a coup d'état against the gentleman he now was. He knew how badly the barbarian behavior was seen by others nowadays, but like Marshall in How I Met Your Mother explained: Once you eat the best burger in New York, the others taste like wet dog fur. The thrill of the adventure, the excitement of the fights, the freedom of a life bound by no laws, the dedication to the vast world that is the sea... Settling into a stable and calm life was nothing but an incarceration to the nation's soul, a torture. He felt like he had no motivation to continue and move on but his pride. His mutilated, tasteless pride. _Why did it change? Why did I sacrifice happiness for my duty?_

_Everything was for England_. He was his own prison guard. He had wished for strength. Military strength. His fleet became master of the salted kingdom. He even defeated the spanish armada. _But at what cost? _At the cost of his pirates, of the carefree mentality of his people, of Captain Kirkland's life.

The island's melancolic thougths were abruptly interrupted by an authoritarian cough demanding attention. The sound's origin stood admist the wide room Arthur was searching despite his distraction, as decorated as the walls. 'Stood' doesn't quite translate the effect the man had on his surroundings, he imposed his presence to the room, ripped the eyes from the many mesmerizing pieces of italian art to glue them on his person. Even England was left without breath, it was like they were destined to meet in this space – a display room – that glorified the elder, almost making white wings grow out of his back. The old man was defigurated by age, he was an exception within nations and always took his boss' appearance. The only differences could be seen in his soul through his eyes: he had more experience, more wisdom, more history, more power. He wasn't human. _No, really?_ Sarcastically thought the island, _who would have known non-human being existed? _He continued.

The man flashed a saint smile "Well Hello United Kingdom of Britain and Northern Ireland." he greeted, teeth as white as his heart should be.

Arthur flinched at the sound of his full name. It seemed so formal – a formality he wouldn't have minded without the reminder of his past life – and created more distance between the two personifications. He regained the gentleman attitude

he was so proud of and threw back the greeting "Hello, Vatican... or should I call you Holy See?"

"Vatican is fine," allowed the italian country "It matters but little, we are all equals to His eyes."_Religious quote... I didn't see that coming!_ The sarcasm plaguing Britain's thoughts had obviously not left "What are you doing in our house?"

The question called for a prompt, intelligent answer and after all the effort the gentleman had focused in his renowned secret services, he knew he was capable of creating an excellent alibi: "I needed to use the bathroom." ...or not. "I mean Germany's bladder couldn't hold it anymore..." _Shut up_ "Cats everywhere, it was crazy!" _It's going to sound like something Alfred would say but... Dafuq brain? "Look, a bird!" shutupshutupshutup! The confused look on his face tells me he's not buying it... Is he saying something? Looks like a chant or somethi - MOTHER OF -_

Walls of light shot from the marble tiles and covered the delicately carved walls, the windows framed by velvet curtains and the grand double door that granted access to the small museum of italian art. Arthur was nothing else than a prisonner. He swiftly turned his head to face the older nation, demanding explanation for the rather exaggerated reaction. Vatican's personnality had always been a mystery to all - after all, he seldom talked to other nations - but his saddened expression gave the briton a glimpse of the man's inner self. "You're trespassing... Don't worry, your soul can be saved once yo confess your sins to me." The religious elder whispered in a soothing voice. Not an ounce of lie tainted his words. _Devotion, the man is blindly devoted to his beliefs._ Arthur's thought held no bitter feelings but admiration for the saint standing in front of him, he was tempted to kneel and dive in prayers. If only his past would let him._  
_

"I suppose the cage is due to the fact your followers show a tendency to run away?" the blond blurt out before he could knock some sense into himself. Every nation knew Vatican's strength rivaled - if not surpassed - America's due to his many followers. Fighting him was no different from committing suicide. _Good job, Arthur, good job._

The Holy See's face distorted in disapponitement "I have always held great respect for you," he started "The way you prioritize your work and manners over leisure makes you the perfect model for youngsters who ignore traitional values. I do not like this rebelious side of yours, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Norhern Ireland." flinched again "I shall get rid of those demons of yours and free your original self."_  
_

_Free_. The word resonated in Arthur's mind. _What does Vatican, a nation bound by religion, know about freedom? Did he ever lead a life where he was truly free?_ One look at the man's sincere expression was enough to answer the question. The two countries' definition of freedom were different. While Arthur thought the lack of responsability was freedom, the Holy See saw it as a freedom of the soul, bound by no sins nor worries. The briton didn't disagree with the religious man's point of vue, but he didn't embrace it either. Quite the opposite as a matter of fact. "You're right, how 'bout I start acting like meself, ey?" he grinned

The sudden personnality change threw the smaller nation in a sligt confusion, just what the renewed Captain Kirkland needed to lunge at the old man and snatch the spell book from the aged hands "So this is the source of your magic? The Bible? I wonder what it'll do if I read..." the blond opened the small book at a random page ang smirked at the sight of a rather unusual sentence.

"Fool!" Vatican scolded when he failed to get up from his tackled position "You out of everyone knows best the consequances of an unkown spell. It could trigger His anger! This is too dangerous to be taken lightly."

"Dangers what makes life worth living mate!" declared the rebelious spirit before starting a short chant "'Jacob felt like an alien in the land of ham' well that's a funny line, what d'you reckon it do - " A light similar to the one encaging the room emerged from the ground and drew the shape of the summoned creature from Hell.

Its white fur was the only proof the beast was indeed summoned by a holy book, The Holy Book, as the grace and elegance - signatures of Vatican's magic - were nowhere to be seen. A powerful jaw, over which stood a pair of eyes reflecting an animalistic intelligence, turned its raw food in a mashed substance that would make even Belarus puke. Four powerful legs immitated wall like foudations giving the unwavering monster a stable body. Along with the torn raven black material that covered his limbs, the being's presence was enough to freeze both personnifications.

"What did you make the Holy magic summon?" sneered the italian nation while he got up "This is the most unorthodox thing I have ever seen, surely you'll go to Hell for such an act. I doubt I can help you further."

"You think?" Arthur taunted "I believe it would make a nice pet... An original pet. I mean look at it! How many ninja llamas do you know?"

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**Reviewers are loved... And I will mentally send them french food, and wine if you're over 18. I remind you, MENTALLY.**


	13. 18 England's Quest: That's what she said

**This was written with a major writer's block. Which might explain the fact I actually finished writing the chapter that comes after first. Not my best chapter but I have too many ideas for this story and unless you want a 21549658746324 chapter fanfic, I think limiting the number of chapters per ark is essential.**

**Speaking about chapters, you may have noticed the number of chapters has slightly changed. That is due to the fact that when I first uploaded this, I kinda put the nine first chapters in one go. Which is a really stupid thing to do. Think about it, when a fanfic has nine chapters and zero reviews, it does not encourage people to read. I was, unfortunately, too lazy to do anything about it. So, I decided to try merging chapters together, and since I had pretty much no reviews for the nine first chapters, I really risked loosing nothing. So chapter 1 is actually chapters 1 & 2, chapter 2 are chapters 3 - 6 and chapter 3 are chapters seven ate nine (This joke is getting old).**

**Well, we'll see how that works out.**

**... And no judging, don't pretend you don't do what you can to make your story more popular.**

**Thank you for following this story from the beginning and Kaitou-Eileen, *concentrates* *concentrates more* *eats a chocolate bar* *resumes concentration* TADAAAA here's your wine ;)**

**Disclaimer: I realized how little importance I give disclaimers compared to other authors... Oooops. Anyway I claim I own Hetalia which is totally why I'm writing this next to the word DISclaimer.  
*sarcastic filter has been activated* I don't own Hetalia.  
By the way, I took the ninja llama idea from a one page comic I found a few months ago. Unfortunately, I can't *ahem, am too lazy to* find it anymore but if you absolutely want me too, I'll just replace it with a shinigami bunny or something.**

**Is it me or are my author's notes getting longer?**

* * *

**France**'s head was throbbing. Unfortunately, the Englishman's fist had nothing to do with it (the latter did leave a red bruise on the jaw but he was used to it by now). A better explanation to the endless ringing in his ears would be the devastated garden, and to be more precise, the smoking black burn mark in its centre.

"Veeeee~ Did it work?" wondered the forever innocent Feliciano

"Of course it did imbecile!" affirmed Lovino "The grenade exploded didn't it? That's what grenades do!"

_They never change._.. mentally sighed Francis. He pitied the clumsy Italian siblings and the idea of helping them crossed his mind. However, he knew it would blow his cover. Despite the risk (and after receiving a pleading look from the once-so-beautiful mutilated garden), the blond decided he could not leave his fellow nations alone. Of course, he could just catch their attention, greet them and explain how grenades work but that would be next to no fun. Moreover, Romano's ahoge was bouncing around as if asking to played it. Need I say more?

"CHIGIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

"France nii-chan!"

*le head butt*

"Aïe! (Ouch!)"

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE BASTAAAAAARD?"

"Don't get angry Lovi! France nii-chan probably had some business to take care of..."

"SHUT UP FELI AND LET ME GO! I NEED TO CUT THIS JERK'S BALLS TO TEACH HIM A LESSON!"

"Woah, du calme! (calm down!)"

"Onii-chan, please don't hurt France-nii!"

It took about half an hour to kill Romano's rage, mainly due to the Frenchman's wrong choice of words ("Why can Antonio tease-play you and not me?","Don't pretend you did not enjoy it!", "Hey Feliciano, want to rent a hotel room with me?"...). Oh well, at least the only casualties were the nearby already fried flowers.

"In my defence," started France "You guys sent me flying in that explosion."

"That doesn't make any sense, idiot!" argued Romano "It was a close range grenade! You had to be within two meters for it to have any effect on you!"

"Think of all the damage you could have done to my visage magnifique (magnificent face)!" he continued

"Oy bastard! Did you hear what I said?" insisted the Italian

"And just as I was about to get a good feel of your ass!" complained Francis

"Feliciano..." calmly called Lovino

"Yes brother?" answered the younger brother

"I think you might want to hold me down BEFORE I START A FUCKING WORLD WAR THREE! I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU FRAAAAAAAANCE!" the older Vargas snapped

"Stop!" intertwined The lighter brunet *natural puppy eyes* " Fighting is bad!"

"Hé! (Hey! (Did I really need to translate that?)) Don't you want to know why I risked getting found out to talk to you?" questioned the threatened country

"So you admit you were hiding." smirked the pissed nation

"Yes... NON! (I refuse to translate this.) Okay, maybe!" France confirmed "And anyway, that just proves my point! I risk way more than I gain! All I wanted was to correct the way you use the grenade!"

"That's what he said!" chirped the northern half of Italy

"That's not how you use 'that's what she said jokes' Italy dear." pointed out Francis

"Jokes?" wondered the youngest of the three "I was talking about Germany! He always says that after we finish boiling pasta!"

_Poor Germany, he really can't say 'no' to Italy..._ the Frenchman thought. He rolled his eyes and resumed what he was saying "The point of grenades is to explode your enemy's head, not yours, which is why you have to throw the grenade, NOT the pin." the Italies' faces looked at him in shock, as if they had discovered the meaning of life (By the way, it's 42 ;)) "Please tell me how you survived so many wars."

Romano turned red "Pshh! I knew that horny bastard!"

"That's what he said!" cheered Feliciano, causing both Romano and France to stare at him in confusion

"So you knew about it but didn't change anything to the way you threw grenades?" asked the perverted nation

"Veeee~ Why would I change anything?" questioned the oblivious man

I'm sure all of you can picture the face palms that ensued.

"Oh look! A ninja llama!" called North Italy after throwing a glance behind Francis

"Hey Lovi, is your brother okay?" worried the blond

"HOLY CRAPOLA! It's a fucking ninja llama! And no - my stupid brother's brain works fine. Also, DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME LOVI!"

Romano wasn't the kind of person to see imaginary creatures, and if he did, he would never admit it. Seeing he older Italy sibling follow his brother was enough to make Francis turn around.

There it was, running in the alley bordered by columns and closely followed by a blond hyperactive-not-so-gentlemanish England and a quite-energetic-for-his age old man. All three were leaving the inside of the house and heading at full speed towards the main gates, where the two alleys which limited the garden on both sides joined the road. _Now here's an interesting sight._

Luckily, the French had known England for quite a long time and quickly understood some magic was at work. "Grenade!" he ordered. Feliciano immediately reacted and handed France the weapon in the seconds that followed. Upon feeling the object in his hand, the latter bit the safety pin off and hurled it (the grenade, NOT the pin) towards the running animal.

But it seemed the black material, wasn't there to show off. The unusual creature skilfully dodged the explosion and turned to face his aggressor.

"Well, at least our 'pet' isn't heading outside anymore, right?" smirked the English nation

"It's been quite a while since I saw you like this, Arthur!" exclaimed the bearded man

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?" yelled South Italy

"You said it yourself, it's a ninja llama." reminded Seborga

"Veeeeee~ when did you get here Seborga?" asked the lighter brunet

"Just now." the micro nation shrugged

"Hey Italie (French spelling, you can guess the word), you hang around Japan a lot, do you know how to defeat a ninja?" asked Francis desperately trying to keep calm despite the piercing glare from the animal.

"Apparently the trouble is in catching the ninja. Anything that kills a human kills a ninja." Answered Venziano after overworking his brain to remember "It's very hard. Very, very hard and very long too."

"That's what she said."

"FRANCE!" the Vatican scolded.

"Who said what?" innocently asked Feliciano

"Oy! We have a more urgent matter!" grinned Arthur

The llama didn't seem to appreciate being ignored and decided it was fun to charge full strength towards the group if nation. Now what damage could a simple herbivore do? Try a lot. Especially when it's a ninja.

Hearts beat faster, cold sweat slid on their skin, they all concentrated on the animal. The weapons (mostly grenades and lamp torches… unless you count maps too. Don't underestimate paper cuts) shined under the sun and England shook of excitement. With every second, the atmosphere grew tenser. It ran faster and faster and faster…

… and tripped. Then was thrown to the nations' feet and lost consciousness.

"…"

"What the – What invisible force could have possibly do – " started France

"Wow!" Seborga whistled "You have a lot of strength, don't you Ljubljana?"

"Ljubljana is Slovenia's capital city! I'm CA-NA-DA!" complained said invisible force "And I share my brother's strength." And they thought ninjas were the ones that were impossible to see.

"When did you get here Canadia?" asked Britain

"Canada… It's Canada…" cried the ghostly nation "I was chasing the llama with you."

"Speaking of llamas, I'd better get rid of it, right?" smirked the pirate. He gestured for the others to stand back and threw a grenade.

The wave of shock was a bit bigger than expected and engulfed the island nation in a cloud of smoke. The rest of the group knew very well Arthur couldn't die of it but they also knew they could expect anything from the explosion of magic things. And lady luck decided it was time to head home. Also, a black cat passed. And a mirror shattered somewhere in the world.

Which is why the day ended with a round of laughter directed at what England had become.


	14. 19 Teenage life: flip flop dare

**It's been a while since we heard about Hong Kong. So, I decided to use Emil for Iceland's human name. I'll be in chinese camp for three weeks but don't worry, I will write chapters in advance so all that's left will be to find a computer on campus and upload them. I do not own Hetalia or llamas with hats. I love all people who read this. I also love people who update fast.**

**Look! I managed to write a short author's note :D**

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**Iceland**, unlike the author of this fanfiction who totally DOES NOT procrastinate and who writes all day long *cough* *cough*, was not a morning person. However, he took his job seriously. So when his business phone rang at six a.m., he only took the time needed to grasp the situation to answer.

"Iceland speaking." The teenager said with his voice muffled by the pillow.

"Hey! It' s me! Me!" answered the boy at the other end of the phone.

**Click!** The Nordic nation gave the other the opportunity to reflect on whether or not calling him was a good idea by indirectly stating he did not wish to speak at that moment. Yeah, he hung up. The phone rang again.

"Don't hang up on me!" complained the one at the other side if the line.

"Duuuuuuuude! Time zones!" scolded the half asleep island "It's like six in the morning here. Now let me sleep."

"Hey! At least listen to me first. Have I ever called you for absolutely no reason?" asked the persistent caller.

"Yes." Affirmed Iceland "And not just once."

"… Okay, maybe I did but this isn't one of those times." Admitted the other.

"Better be or I will tell England you miss his food. I'm sure he'll be happy to cook for his little Hong Kong." Threatened the cold nation.

"PMSing much? Don't hang up! I was only kidding. Anyway, I had to talk to you before the European conference and since it starts sometime in the morning, I thought you'd be already awake." Explained the asian island.

European conference? What European confe – _SHIIIIIIIIIIT! _Iceland jumped out of bed like popcorn… well, pops. Anyway, he grabbed the first clothes in his range of sight – which luckily turned out to be his official uniform – and put them on with the phone still stuck between his shoulder and his ear. He rushed downstairs, with little jumps instead of steps as it was difficult to run normally while putting shoes on, unless he asked puffin to make him fly… But then again, he might be too heavy for the bird. Asking Norway would be the only way to accomplish this feat. Why the hell was he brainstorming a way to fly?

"Oh, hey Iceland." Greeted Finland "You're up early for once."

Iceland froze. Finland? What was Finland doing in the house he shared with Norway? The Nordics only gathered once a week, to spend a day as a 'family' and they had all agreed for that day to be Sunday. The teen glanced at the calendar hanging over the table.

"HONG KONG I SWEAR I WILL KILL YOU!" yelled said teen, probably waking up those who hadn't. If the phone had ears, they would be gone (more like permanently in recovery).

The Cantonese boy stifled a laugh "Now, I wonder why the idea of doing that would even cross your mind?"

"You almost gave me a heart attack! The conference is only tomorrow!" The silver hared boy answered despite knowing the other was just messing with him.

"Oh, I did not know that." Obviously lied Hong Kong.

The Icelandic boy sighed "You're as convincing as Carl in llamas with hats. Why did you call me anyway? Don't tell me you want to try and paint Poland's house black again."

"Why do you always take things so seriously? That was just a joke!" Xiang shrugged.

Emil laughed sarcastically "Then please, care to explain how we ended up wearing pink dresses and being chased around by Belarus?"

"Poland is not someone you should mess with." The Chinese island grimaced in memory of the event.

"Why do I even bother putting up with you?" sighed the Nordic nation.

"Cause I'm your best friend and you can't live without me?" hopefully suggested the brunet.

**Click!**

"So…" the sleep deprived Nordic started "Do you always come this early?"

Sweden nodded between two sips of his delicious looking coffee. Fortunately, his 'wife' understood the teen wanted to know why "We're trying to get Sealand and Ladonia to live with a more reasonable rhythm and Hantamago seems to love your house. You should see him urging us to leave ours."

"Does that mean the reason why Sunday breakfast suc – ahem, is different is because you make it?" asked the island.

The blond santa rejoiced "You noticed?"

**Ring! Ring! Ri –**

"What do you want Hong Kong? And Why are you using my work phone?" coldly demanded Emil after rolling his eyes in exasperation.

"You would never answer your private mobile." Answered the asian teen.

"Which is exactly why you should use it." Snapped Iceland.

"You know you'd miss me if you didn't hear my voice for a while." Teased the former English island "I just need a favour from you. And note the serious in my voice."

"Noted."

"Tomorrow, at the conference, there will probably be a human girl sneaking around. It would help a lot if you kept an eye on her." Explained Xiang.

"Your girlfriend?" asked the yawning nation.

"No," Hong Kong denied "But she is… interesting. I don't know why but I really want to figure her out. She's hiding something from all of us and even if she is a normal human, there's something wrong with her, like a few loose screws."

"Continue."

"England accidentally summoned a human from another world – one in which we are manga characters, believe it or not, she knows a lot about us – and she ran away from him cause he decided it was best for her safety to keep her confined in his house. I met her at the asian conference and if I have to describe her personality, I would say she is blunt, hyperactive, social, mischievous and definitely not the stereotype gossiping teenage girl."

"I still don't see how she seems 'wrong'."

"Well, first, it's been a little over one week she's been here and it doesn't seem as though she misses her family at all. Actually, it's almost like she doesn't want to go back. Second, instead of wanting to do normal teenage pass time - not sex or anything realted to that, I meant games and chatting - she decided she wanted to learn how to use a gun!"

"Did you teach her?"

"Yep."

"You just told me she was hyperactive and mischievous and you told her how to use a gun? What is wrong with you?"

"Wait 'till you listen the last and most important thing about her before judging how mentally sane _I_ am: she's obsessing about Russia and he got used to her way too fast! He protects her and doesn't get angry at her and even listens to everything she says!"

"Woah, are we talking about the same Russia here?"

"Yes! It's like he completely changed. I have to admit he's not that bad, I might even start considering him as a friend…"

"Earth to Xiang. Russia? Friend?"

"Don't judge him. Since Irene – that's the name of the girl – arrived, he slowly opened up and she made it her goal to create friendships between him and other nations."

"Is she succeeding?"

"Yeah, both me and China are still somewhat a bit afraid of him but we wouldn't mind spending a few days with him. Apparently Austria stopped being eternally pissed at Russia. And he makes good food."

Iceland laughed "I think she influenced you a bit too much, Russia's a cold hearted and brutal creep."

The special administrative region felt offended "Didn't he recently pull you out of deep economic troubles?"

"Yeah," admitted the northern nation "But with a hidden agenda, no doubt about that."

"If only I could force you to spend more time around Ivan… Hey, waaaaaait a second!" Iceland could feel his friend's evil smirk from where he was "Don't you owe me a dare from the flip flop throwing challenge?"

"Don't you dare Xiang." Ordered Emil as his confidence slowly evaporated.

"I dare you to spend the whole conference – lunch break included – next to Russia!" declared Hong Kong "Oh, and don't forget to send me pictures of everyone's reactions. You know what? I'll just ask Hungary to do that."

Iceland died a little inside.

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**By the way, flip flop throwing challenges are a game I used to play with my brother and a few friends in France. It's epic, especially if you use a swing.**


	15. 20 World Questions: French Fries

**Before you start ranting on how long it took me to update, I would like to justify myself by telling all of you awesome people that I have been writing chapters in advance. I knew I would only have time to upload during chinese camp which is why the next four chapters have been finished and will be uploaded once a week.**

**Reviewers are awesome.**

**Followers are awesome.**

**Readers are awesome.**

**So you'll all become one with Mother Russia, da?**

**PpD: Hetalia belongs to me, as you all know. *rolls eyes*  
Italy: Veeee~ Really?  
Germany: Don' t listen to her, Hetalia belongs to Himaruya Hidekazu.  
PpD: Killjoy.**

**Anyway, I have created a pole on my profile for this story so please check it out!**

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**Germany**'s car was put to a stop when he reached the parking. Despite the little faith he had in that kind of thing, He decided to listen to his horoscope since it was coming up. Oh well, it couldn't hurt and he might get a laugh out of it. Yeah right, last time he actually laughed out loud was after an evening spent with Gilbert… And a few glasses of beer. Just a few.

"Libra: Today, prepare your heart for unexpected surprises as they will fall upon you like little drops of fresh rain on a hot day!" exclaimed the car's radio.

_They really emphasis everything_, Ludwig thought to himself, _how do people believe in this? It's nonsense and after hanging around so many nations, I know nonsense like the tips of my fingers_. If only he had been human for a while, long enough to pay more attention to this day's prediction; he would have been more prepared for what was going to happen. Unfortunately, a certain cold hearted author found it fun to make the German nation suffer.

**LINEBREAK**

He wasn't expecting much from that meeting. Actually he had stopped expecting anything from meetings since the second one he ever attended. A sigh escaped his mouth as he glanced at his watch. Thirty minutes early. With that much time to spare, Ludwig knew who to expect: England (forever the first one), Russia (creepy… but hardworking) and with a bit of luck, Poland (he was the host after all). He decided to keep his hopes low and took a deep breath before opening the door.

Unexpected surprise # 1 (AKA mini heart attack): Well that was a lot of pink!

The conference room looked like it came out of a little pony's brain… No, it _was_ a little pony's brain. Who knew there existed so many different shades of pink? Even the windows were pink tainted glass. However, it seemed the early arrivals had gotten use to the, uhm… original choice of colors. Speaking of early arrivals:

Unexpected surprise # 2 (whether this one was good or bad remained undetermined): France, Italy (north and south) and Vatican were already there! How rare for them to be eager to start a meeting.

Unexpected surprise # 3: Poland had become a woman since the last time they saw each other. Not only that but he (she?) matched the room's furniture!

Unexpected surprise # 4 (and probable explanation to the unexpected surprise # 2): England was surprisingly shorter than Germany remembered. That impression may have originated in the fact he looked like a ten year old, it may have.

Luckily for the blonde's agitated heart, Russia was the same as always. Remind us how this could be considered lucky? Oh right, it couldn't. The german proceeded to the well known reflex of slapping oneself to wake up from a dream. Didn't work. Hit the head on the table? Success!... If the goal was to attract attention. What was there that could wake him up once and for all from this nightmare?

"It doesn't work." Informed Switzerland whom Germany had failed to notice "I tried… I tried."

"You went too far, onii-san!" scolded Liechtenstein with more worry than anger in her voice "If slapping does not work, shooting won't either." Sure enough, the small country was tending to a bullet wound lodged in the neutral nation's thigh.

Weren't weapons forbidden within the conference room?

"You know what? I don't even care anymore." The former axis power muttered to himself as he took his seat.

Just as he settled down, Belarus and Ukraine came in, setting the room in a tense atmosphere. Ukraine continued avoiding her younger brother like usual, but since the gaz wars between the two countries, Belarus' attitude towards had also taken a turn to the worst. She couldn't stop loving him of course and she would never bring herself to hate him but she remained confused to how she should really feel. The trust she had in her brother was shattered and she needed time to regain it.

Luckily, the atmosphere lightened up with the arrival of Austria and Hungary. Or so, Germany thought it would.

Unexpected surprise # 5: Austria greeted Russia without any negative feelings implied. That or he suddenly became the best actor ever.

Unexpected surprise # 6: Hungary greeted him too, only she sat next to him and tapped him in the back in a friendly gesture. She remains alive and uninjured to this very moment.

Needless to say, all eyes didn't fail to land on them.

They were only spared from the attention when more nations came in. All of them having the same reaction; open the door, stare in shock, awkwardly find a seat and someone to chat with.

Iceland was the last to arrive. He scanned the room and sighed. Norway was making gestures to indicate the free seat next to him and the Baltics – with whom he shared good relations – did the same as they were closer to the doors.

Unexpected surprise # 7: Out of the nine chairs he could have sat in, Iceland chose the one right next to Russia, earning a wink from Hungary.

Casualty # 1: near death experience for Finland who choked on his coffee.

Was Russia in fashion or something?

"Ahem." Germany called attention to himself "As usual, the meeting will start with simple questions that do not require voting or decision making. Anyone?" All eyes pointed to England and Russia but no one seemed to take the initiative, until Hungary's hand shot up. "Germany recognizes his friend Hungary."

"Well, it's a question I got from a human I met recently, I couldn't answer and I found it ironic cause nations are probably the only ones who know about this kind of stuff…"

"Get to the point." Complained Romano.

"Okay: Why are French fries called French fries if they're from Belgium?"

Awkward silence.

Denmark laughs.

Denmark laughs more.

Norway grabs Denmark's tie.

Denmark's head is acquainted with the table.

Norway tries pretending nothing happened.

No one buys it.

Then again, no one cares.

"It's probably the frog's fault." England huffed.

"Don't put the blame on me for everything, petit (literally 'small' but in this context 'kid')" France pouted "Besides, we call them frites in France which means fries, never once did we attach our country's name to them."

"Don't talk to me like I'm a child!" ordered the shrunken nation.

"But you _are_ a child!" smirked Ireland before being repeatedly stabbed by his brother's glare.

"Don't feel offended," Spain chirped "Kids are cute!"

"ARE YOU SAYING I'M NOT CUTE, TOMATO BASTARD?" yelled everyone's favourite Italian tsundere.

"You'll always be a kid to me~" The Spaniard reassured.

"Doesn't that make you a paedophile?" wondered Portugal with a teasing grin.

"Are we seriously discussing this?" asked Cyprus "I know we're completely off-topic but really? French fries?"

"Ja , Maybe it is for the best to move on to more important matters." Agreed the one who was on the path to becoming the nations' babysitter.

"Wait!" Belgium cried "I'm interested in the answer!"

Germany sighed "Does anyone here know the answer to the question?"

"I do!" declared 'the Hero'.

"Oh, good, then plea – " started Ludwig before realizing something was not quite right "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE AMERICA?"

Unexpected surprise # 8: The United-States had apparently moved to Europe.

The superpower ignored the blonde's outburst and proceeded to explain "I named them like that because when I arrived in Belgium during World War I, but she spoke French so I thought 'I must be in France!' and TADAAAA!" the American turned to England and did what cost Denmark his consciousness. After a while he headed for the door "I just wanted to see if it was true that Iggy was a kid, see y'all!"

…

"That aside," Ludwig dismissed "Let's begin the meeting."

_Little drops of fresh rain on a hot day? Electric shocks on a overheated heart is more accurate._

Casualty # 2: Germany's dream of a calm meeting.


	16. 21 Teenage life: ignored regulations

**Well, I'm back... Lucky I wrote in advance cause I have absolutely NO time to write between chinese classes, chinese classes and chinese classes. You have no idea how lucky you are to even HAVE summer holidays. Cherish them.**

**Anywho, THANKS TO ALL OF YOU! Yes, you! I LOVE YOU!**

**Reviews are much appeciated.**

**Taiwan says Hi to you guys, enjoy your summer break! :D**

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**Iceland **relaxed. It seemed to have taken forever for the lunch break to arrive! The previously aquarium fish dead nations suddenly sprung to life and formed different groups, some of which stayed in the pink hell while other chose to move to a space with colours that minimized the risk of blindness. Blindness caused by ripping one's eyes out of their sockets of course.

"Hey Russia," started Hungary "Do you want to join Roderich and I for lunch?"

Said nation looked surprised then happy, like kid-getting-an-ice-cream happy. He opened his mouth only to close it again with a frown. After a long inner debate he nodded.

No matter how ridiculous the dare was, a dare was still a dare and Iceland decided to make his move before his family could reach where he sat. "Uhm…" This wasn't as easy as he originally thought. At least he managed to catch the three nations' attention "Could I-" _Too desperate_. "May I-" _Too formal_. "Hey dawg-" _WHAT THE HELL BRAIN?_

Hungary chuckled at his vein attempts, especially since they tainted the Nordic's pale skin with a blushing red "You can eat with us too, Iceland. The more the merrier!" Russia just looked at him with wide eyes, a bit of suspicion and happiness tainting the amethyst orbs.

"Iceland." Norway called. _HOLY SHIT WHEN DID HE GET SO CLOSE?_ Internally screamed the island after noticing his brother was right next to him, as in between his seat and his neighbour's. Not that he hated his brother – or anyone in his family – but he was eager to avoid being interrogated on his more than unusual actions. Hanging around a rumoured psychopath with probable homicidal tendencies wasn't exactly what they could call an everyday occurrence. Fortunately, Norway's thoughts weren't that easy to predict. "That person you were talking to earlier…" he continued, completely ignoring the Russian who was throwing a glare his way "The one playing with a lighter in the lobby… Is she…? Never mind. I'll talk to you when we get home." The odd nation shot a worried look towards Denmark and Sweden who reciprocated, leaving Finland and Iceland very confused.

"Hey Rus!" Denmark smirked "If you hurt a single strand of Ice's hair, my axe will end up lodged in your head, just sayin'." As if to prove his point, the Dane swung his axe playfully in his hand, slowly coming closer until he stood inches away from the world's biggest country. _I thought weapons were forbidden in meetings… Oh well. No one even pays attention to the meeting's content, much less to the regulations_.

"Ah, so you think you can beat me in a fight? Good, because it's been a while since I ripped anyone's throat." The Russian man answered with a creepy chuckle. He stood up from his seat and towered over the former self proclaimed King of Scandinavia. His iron pipe waited not a second to make an appearance. _Again, weapons? Is an iron pipe even considered as a weapon? Technically it's a – Why the hell am I thinking about that now?_ A tension appeared between the two blonds, one that no one dared to interrupt but Ivan's phone. The Russian anthem tore the tense silence and installed fear in the former USSR members. The tall man grunted, unhappy to interrupt his fight, one of the only times he actually talked to people. Bad company is better than none after all.

The moment he brought his phone to his ears, the threatening aura dissipated, leaving a pouting and innocent looking Russia. "No, I wasn't – Fine maybe a little but – Nyet!" At this point, a blush crossed his face "I – I can't… It's not like he'd believe me anyway! No one believes what I say!" His blush deepened as he realized everyone heard that last complaint "Fine." He finally huffed.

Hungary received a message shortly after and held back giggles as she read it. She turned to Russia a bit hesitantly before revealing the content to him "Looks like you have no choice but to comply, unless you really want a random teenage girl following you dressed as a little pony and shouting 'Dad! Why won't you tell me what intercourse is?' in the middle of Moscow." She said low enough for only Iceland, Austria, herself and Russia to hear. It didn't take long for Iceland to understand the woman was talking about Irene.

_Right. The reason I'm stuck with Russia for the whole day_.

He had his first encounter with Irene that very morning in the lobby. Emil had continued talking to her even after his brother had left for the meeting, which explained why he was the last one to arrive. In conclusion: she was exactly as Hong Kong had described her except for one thing he might have forgotten to mention, the fact the girl was completely out of it. It took Iceland three times to get her attention and he had to steal the lighter she was playing with to do so. At least now he confirmed Russia's a hundred an eighty degree change of personality when around or speaking to Irene. Really, he went from a bloodthirsty giant to an embarrassed teenager who couldn't say no to his mom. _Irene as Ivan's mom_. The teenage island shivered at the picture.

"Denmark," Russia said while taking a deep breath "I – I am sorry for being a violent and scary guy." Everyone was taken aback. Russia… Apologizing? To Denmark? Now that was unheard of. And highly suspicious. A nation in the back could even be heard asking where was Russia and what had he done to him. Then another one followed proclaiming he was trying to deceive everyone. They all agreed. And that's when Iceland saw the extent of Russia's troubles. Not a single nation that hadn't talked to Hong Kong or Irene trusted the guy. Hell, _he_ didn't trust the guy after all Ivan had done for him.

A look at the giant's face was enough to be taken by an overwhelming wave of pity. A fake smile was plastered on his face, hiding an emotion that could range from pure evilness to waterfall of tears sadness. It was heart breaking to think only he, Russia and four other nations knew it was the latter. And terrifying to think all the others were so blinded by hatred they only saw the former.

"We should go eat somewhere else." Emil suggested. He couldn't bear looking at other's people's expressions of distrust and hatred when he knew his wasn't so different until only the day before.

"Yes, maybe it is a - " Austria started before being interrupted by Denmark, whose face had turned into a scowl.

"I don't know what's going on through your mind Rus, but you are definitely up to something." He growled "Here I was thinking Iceland had a clear reason to sit next to you. I should've have doubted you were planning something the moment you helped him for his economical crisis! I refuse your apology since I know you don't mean it. Come with us, Ice." He finished while grabbing the younger Nordic by the arm.

Iceland yanked his arm away, shocking all the nearby nations, Russia included. "Why…?" the Russian asked slightly confused at the sudden attachment Emil displayed towards him and partially paralyzed by the dirty looks he was receiving from the few countries who didn't mind the pink.

The teenager sighed "Unfortunately, I'm Hong Kong's best friend and it is not in his habits to keep to himself so naturally, I am stuck in all the shit he gets stuck in… That and a stupid dare."

Russia chuckled at the memory of Hong Kong and Irene "I see… Thank you but you don't have to do anything. I'm used to it by now. On the other hand, your family is waiting for you, da?"

The silver haired boy shrugged "I don't have a choice but to stick with you all day long." _Believe me, I'd rather not but I know Xiang's dare can be worst. A lot worst_.

"Wait I don't understand." Denmark said "You're going with _him_? Out of all the people? What the hell did Hong Kong do? What dare? Why – GAH!"

"Shut up. Let's go eat." Norway deadpanned while strangling his fellow Nordic. He showed obvious concern for his brother but nodded in an understanding kind of way. _I'll never understand what goes through his head._ The younger Nordic sighed, _and obviously the same goes for Danmark_. The Dane was showering Norway with questions and confused looks but met with no answers.

And after this extremely tense and suspicious scene, all nations ate happily ever after until the meeting resumed.


	17. 22 World questions: A new problem

**Writig this chapter was like trying to get a russian drunk with only milk for drinks. I respect all of you who think it was easy. Moreover, after the AZERTY keyboard, I now hace a tablet to write with and I can't select text. I swearI'm hugging my computer once I get back. Hug yours now if you have it.  
This chapter wasn't supposed to exist but I really didn't want Irene to introduce herself EVERY SINGLE TIME. Especially since this fanfiction will have a lot of characters.**

**Reviewers, followers, readers, people, animals (dogs excluded)... I love you guys. Exept you *points to whoever invented the no toilet paper in Taiwan thing*, I hate you. People like yu should never be born.**

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**Germany **had left the meeting room to give his eyes a break, hoping, somewhere deep in his heart, that nothing would happen during the time he was away. Obviously, his hopes were crushed when he came back along with Italy to a very tense pink room. For some reason or another, the pink actually darkened the general mood.

Everyone was glaring daggers at Russia.

Russia didn't look like he gave a damn and was texting.

Iceland and Hungary, who were sandwiching the tall nation, were having a nice friendly conversation.

Austria was pouting and as red as Spain's tomatoes.

England was still a child and Poland a woman.

Denmark was passed out on the table.

Norway was declaring himself innocent.

_Well this is… Awkward_…

"Do the cough thingy!" suddenly pleaded north Italy, stealing everyone's attention. Seeing the german seemed to make them remember they where at a european assembly. It took being himself for Ldwig not to laugh at the multiple deer in the headlight look. However, being himself also meant having a soft, mushy spot in his heart for Italy. Was there anyone, sociopaths and unicoorns excluded, who could actually resist the eruption of adorableness? The brunet's eyes dug deep in Ludwig's conscience, making the German struggle for words "Pleeeease? It's fun when everyone turns to you!"_ Can't you read the atmosphere for once?_Silentely pleaded the man. Being oblivious was one thing but completey ignoring the fact there was enough tension to power the whole world for twenty thousand years was just being blind, deaf and plain stupid. No. He coldn't bring himself to attach those world to his Felicia - *cough* to Italy.

"The 'cough thingy' as you say is used to attain order. With everyone as silent as during the Cold War, there is absolutely no need to do such a thing." the blond tried to exaplain while struggling to keep his thought from surfacing on his face .

_What exactly happened here? And why is England stuck in this form? I'm not really sure I want to know about Poland. Damn my curiosity, if I ask it'll be weird, I'm the one supposed to give all my focus to the meeting. I'll just ignore it, it can't be that hard. Just ignore it_. At that moment, Austria did the finger to Hungary, getting an evil smirk out of the woman who seemed to be teasing him about a picture of him. _HOW THE HOLY FUHRER CAN I IGNORE AUSTRIA DOING SUCH A THING? I need to know! Dammit I sound like a kid. Calm down. Ignore. Ignore. Ignore…_

"Veeee~ Don't beat yourself up for me!" Feliciano cried "I thought it would be fun doing the cough thingy but don't force yourself if you can't!" Germany looked at his former ally, then at the wall where he's been bashing his head in for the past few minutes.

…

_I knew red looked better on those walls than pink!_

…

"Let's resume the meeting." The blonde said trying to wipe off the blood on his forehead and reassuring the Italian with a pat on the shoulder. He knew better than not comforting the rather clumsy and dense man, it had ended up with more than a few hundreds of plush toys to stop the world from drowning in his tears the last time water had sipped from his eternally closed eyes.

"… If you want to ask, feel free to." Allowed France who read the atmosphere like a picture book. Despite being the pansexual he was, France could always be trusted with social problems and reading emotions. The guy was like a therapist, really. As a matter of fact, though no one would dare admit it, he was often consulted by other countries.

"Noooo!" England protested, wrapping his shortened arms around the Frenchman's mouth "What has happened to me concerns only me!" The gentleman's haste in shutting the frenchy up only added to everyone's curiosity. Who doesn't like finding out about a bit of embarrassing dirt on someone?

"But you got us involved, bastard." Sneered Romano. His frown found itself mixed with amusement from the blonde's 'I want the earth to swallow me' moment.

"Involved in what?" Venziano asked receiving, causing a sudden magnetic attraction between his brother's palm and his forehead. Unfortunately, the german knew his confusion was genuine and not supposd to be. Of course, he forgave him immediately. What? No one chooses their qualities and faults! It has nothing to do with being unproffessional! Germany didn't even know what that word meant! He was everything but unproffessional.

"Do you not remember what happened two days ago at your house?" Francis asked. The shoulder lengthed haired man showed concern but mostly exhasperation.

Italy's face lit up with joy and excitement "Oooh! The ninja llama and England's weird behaviour! And France-nii san even imitated Germany! That was so much fun!" Germany threw France a raised eyebrow who just pointed to the italian for explanation. The tall german nodded in understanding.

Another round of face palming ensued and more confused eyes dropped in the conversation.

"I was teaching you how to handle grenades!" corrected the French nation, shortly before receiving an 'I feel you bro' look from Germany.

Lithuania was the one who found the courage to speak for the rest of the nations "Would you mind letting us understand?"

"It can't hurt anyone to know, Angleterre." Cooed France after struggling to keep his mouth's freedom.

The Englishman bit his lips and threw his hands in the air after considering the possible outcomes "Fine. But don't blame me for what happened and don't you DARE make fun of me." he waited for everyone to agree before starting the story "France and I went to Italy's house for personal reasons whe-"

"The full version, mon cher (my dear)" Francis interrupted. "You were in Scotland's basement when it started. And stop forgetting Canada!"

"Who?" asked a couple of country who ended up ignored.

"Psh! Fine! You'll get the bloody full version!" huffed the young child.

**LINEBREAK**

"…If any of you have any idea where she might be, I welcome your help." Finished the brit, trying to look as proud as a kid could. He actually looked a lot like Sealand and that helped little for others' respect towards him. He looked around and caught Hungary laughing. Actually, it was hard not to. She was laughing out loud, all lady-like manners forgotten.

"There's no way I'm helping you." She declared, making the audience (They're so passive I might as well call them that) gasp "You gave her no freedom! There's no harm in letting her run around for a bit."

"You know where she is?" Germany asked "She's under our responsibility right now; I want her under constant supervision. Granted, she may… 'run around' like you say, but never without one of us to accompany her. We don't even know how her arrival in this world will affect us or how it will affect her and her world. England, you are to find the counter spell as quickly as you can." The German sighed. Why did the Englishman had to insist playing around with magic? It failed ALL the time. That Irene girl was another problem to take care of and the world had enough of those.

"Scotland and I are already working on it." Informed the bushy eyebrow man hating the fact his faiure was so obvious..

"Uhm… I'm not allowed to tell you where she is." Hungary said, eyes on her phone. "The message clearly says: 'I don't want to risk having to endure English food again. Please let me live longer.' That and a smiley," All countries present (minus the aforementioned one) agreed and sympathised with the human.

Germany frowned "How many of you actually know where she is?"

Hungary, Austria and Iceland raised their hands. Hungary muttered that Prussia knew and Iceland listed Hong Kong and China. That made a total of six countries. No. Seven. Iceland was holding Russia's hand down, preventing the tall man to declare himself. But why would Iceland do that? Russia seemed as confused as Ludwig himself but neither decided to ask. Wait a minute… His own brother knew! All he had to do was interrogate Gilbert once he got home and hopefully learn that the girl was safe. "All the countries informed of her whereabouts and those who find out are in charge of her wellbeing and safety." Finally decided Germany. "And please pass the message to the other countries."

They all nodded in silence.

Satisfied, Ludwig decided to open a new topic. He wasn't in the mood to manage another problem. "Any questions or topics you need to discuss?"

…Unfortunately Poland seemed interested in Irene "Where is that, like, girl from?" As countries, it was normal to want to know who the girl belonged to.

Everyone turned to the previously suspicious side of the table.

Iceland spoke up "I got everything from Xiang who is pretty close to her and all I know is that she attends the French international school in Hong Kong, speaks French and english and is learning Chinese."

"So she's French?" asked Spain.

"Wait, she has no accent when she speaks English, couldn't she be American?" suggested Hungary.

"Or Canadian." Pointed out France, earning quizzical looks from pretty much everyone "You know, the country right over les Etats-Unis (The United States)? They speak French and English? Maple leaves?" the blonde sighed and gave one last try "Hockey?"

Germany could almost swear he saw a huge light bulb floating on top of everyone's head suddenly light up (what else is it going to do? Dance?).

"I'll just ask her." Deadpanned Iceland, obviously trying to avoid a new fight. Ludwig wanted to pull the Nordic closer and kiss him like a mother kisses her kid on graduation day. But he didn't. He was Germany.

The response came almost instantly and the Nordic island read out loud "She says: 'French, American or Canadian? Nice try guys, I'm from Belgium and half of my family is Swiss. But still, nice try. You should try learning the names and languages of non G8 countries though.'"

"Ha! In your face!" exclaimed Belgium.


	18. 23 Teenage life: Alcohol tolerance

**Wow this is my longest chapter yet.**

**Last chapter was writen with major writer's block so I understand the lack of reviews (but it still makes me sad :( ).**

**I'll keep the author's note short: enjoy, please leave me you opinion on the story, thank you to all those who read the story and Hetalia doesn't belong to me.**

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**Lichtenstein** was well known for being a sheltered kid, mostly due to her overprotective brother. I'm sure you all picture her as a goody two shoes with a heart whiter than that of a toddler. No one blames you for that stereotypical image of her, especially since it was true. While some people desire fame, money, reputation or endless happiness, all the little nation wanted was to please her dear brother. She gave little importance to teenage stuff such as shopping, drinking, trying to get laid or hanging out with friends as long as her brother could smile. Well not smile per se, Switzerland doesn' t smile, just maybe show signs of happiness like the frequent blush he had when he bumped into Austria. At first it was just to repay him for saving her in her moments of distress but the reason had long changed. It was simply sibling love now and she knew very well it wasn' t one sided. Apart from the aristocrate, Lili was the only one to manage to summon Vash's relaxed and joyful side, however the mutual brother-sister supporting also had its negative consequances.

For one the girl had never faced the dark side of people's personnalities and became somehow unable to detect hidden meanings such as sarcasm, irony or lies. She wasn' t stupid and knew no one was an angel which itself lead to the destruction of any trust she had for anyone but her brother. Whenever one would say something to her, Lichtenstein was unable to react and that often ended up in a lot of awkwardness. She could barely hold a conversation with Austria and her fellow female nations (minus Belarus) and slowly came to avoid social interraction. As long as she had her brother, she was okay.  
Another problem triggered was Switzerland's self restriction. He held back from doing what he wished to attend to his sister's needs and safety and despite his success in doing such, the man' s stress only continued to pile up until it became unbearable for Lili to watch. She knew it was her fault. She knew he drew a cross on fun for her. And she hated that.

So when the opportunity for the ever so neutral country to have a blast fell into her hands, she took no time to grasp it and throw it in her brother' s face. Her mind warned her not to, as it knew that opportunity would present itself as a torture for her but she couldn't allow herself to be the cause of Switzerland' s misery anymore.

Now how does a pure, innocent saint behave in an alcohol filled bar? Oh how she wished she could have the answer. She had promised her brother not to drink as an argument to convince him to break his shell and quickly found out that people who didn' t drink or talk to others grew bored in bars. Especially since Vash had left her to go drink with other countries, as she had begged him to. The girl shifted in her booth desperate for somethig to do. Anything was welcomed. Anything that would not disappoint Vash that is. Maybe she could improve international relations? Yeah right. She mentally laughed at her own suggestion. They could take advantage of her to get to her sibling. And anyway, she knew very well her fellow nation would bore his mind to death talking to her. The topics she could discuss were very little in number.

Engrossed in her self-pity, Lichtenstein failed to notice Latvia and Sealand getting dragged in her direction by a slightly buzzed Germany. The serious blonde dropped the two personnifications in her booth and began a lecture on underaged drinking and the lethal effects of alcohol between sips of his beer. If Lichtenstein knew what it was, she would be declaring irony. Thanks to Prussia (who somehow ended up in Poland despite not being invited to world summits anymore), the lecture only lasted twenty long minutes. The two germans left to join up with the other nations. Of couse, it didn' t take England' s scones for Mr. Awkward Silence to take refuge in the booth for underaged nations. Sealand was in an angry at everyone for not acknowledging him mood, Latvia was shaking from getting caught trying to get polish vodka and from the trauma of Germany' s scolding and Lichtenstein was, well, Lichtenstein (AKA: Social incompetance).

Then again, if Mr. Awkward Silence hadn' t been such a stain on a white sheet in the bar, Iceland and Irene might never have spotted the table, whether it be for the best or the worst.

The two teenagers made their way to the noise deprived table, avoiding other's attention. Lichtenstein understood why pretty quickly. For humans to be in bars was nothing out of the ordinary, neither was nations talking to humans (as long as they didn' t reveal who they were) or teenagers in bars. Those things could almost be called common. But Iceland who only ever had one friend (unless Puffin counts) and who admitted to knowing the human girl to be hanging around the brunette? The nations wouldn' t need a calculator to put two and two together and figure out the emeraud green eyed teenager was in fact Irene.

At first, the human tried making small conversation with all of them but Lichtenstein backed out when a possibility to presented itself and Iceland just ignored the others, tired of Irene and Hong Kong' s constant teasing. Thank God it was four in the morning for Xiang. The belgian just shrugged and continued talking with those who felt like it. It was only when it was too late that Lichtenstein regretted not having joined in to redirect the conversion. Before she knew it, the words she heard were those her brother dreaded to hear from her own mouth.

" So let's just steal some drinks to confirm if it's genetics!" Chirped a happy micro nation.

Obviously, Iceland had decided to lend the conversation his ear at the same moment Lili did. His face showed clear annoyance, though no surprise since Hong Kong was one to demand such outrageous actions. The nordic just groaned and facepalmed "Really? I stop paying attention to you for three minutes and you' re already planning on breaking a law?"

" It's for scientific purposes!" Irene smirked.

"I'm sorry," apologized the swiss nation "I wasn' t really listening but c-could you please refrain from doing such a thing?" she stuttered, a bit shy in front multiple people "I don't mean to ruin your fun but you are sure to get caught with so many nations around."

"Awww, come on Lili!" complained Sealand "Don't you wanna know if alcohol tolerance is inherited from parents?"

"It doesn' t matter much to us, we don' t have parents." reminded the germanic country with slight bitterness in her voice "Ah, I didn't want to sound so angry, sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for, I can't imagine how painful it must be to see all the people around you enjoying something you don't have." Irene sighed with a knowing smile. She lost herself in her thoughts for a split second before taking the first sip from her drink which had arrived sometime during the conversation. Her face scrunched in disgust "Ewwwww... That is NOT apple juice!"

"Let me see!" Sealand grabbed the transparent glass and took a chug too, getting the same reaction as the human "Who would drink that stuff? Here Latvia, try some."

The Baltic wasn't exactly convinced drinking the golden liquid was a good idea after witnessing the two youngest present struggling to get the bitter taste away from their apple juice, or what was supposed to be apple juice, it could have been expired for all he knew. Germs and funghis could have been taking long awaited vacations in the drink, worst, England could have made it. Lucky his child self got him sent to bed early by France. The blonde latvian stared at the glass. There was simply no way he was ever going to bring it close to his mouth. Even Lichtenstein looked horrified at the thought, and she truly was. Her own apple juice had tasted fairly good. What if her taste buds were dying?

"Hey, Hong Kong?" Irene asked to her phone. The four other teens tried stopping her the moment her voice had resonated in the small booth. How could she not realize how early it was in eastern asia? A wave of pity was sen to China's Special Administrative Region. To their heart's discontent, the girl all but stopped "I've been meaning to tell you this for a while, your language sucks." A pause was needed there for everyone to register what the brunette had just said "No really, all your people sound like they're constantly yelling at each other and you feel agressed whenever they ask you something! Why don't you speak normal chinese? Granted it may be hard to learn, I have enough experience to say that, but at least it limits itself to four tones! Who the Hell needs eight different tones anyways? Also, do something about the pollution! I remember coughing for two whole weeks the first time I stepped on you! And by you I mean the land, not the actual you with the boob oriented mind." A pissed reply was heard from the other line but Lili could not hear the words.

Apparently, Irene did. Might have had something to do with the whole phone next to her ear thing "Pfffffff! I never said that! I wouldn' t even dream of living anywhere outside Hong Kong. And don't get me started on Taiwan. Her drivers should learn to actually drive instead of hooking their car with every slut of an object they see on the road. And what abut her - Hey! You can't hang up on me!" the girl frowned at her phone before throwing a bag of colourful insults at it, as if it was entirely its fault.

"Yup, it's beer." affirmed Latvia who had finished the beverage without anyone seeing him. Lichtenstein narrowed her eyes. She knew that guy was a ninja of some kind!

Sealand just looked confused " Does that mean she's drunk?" Iceland nodded "But she said her brother could drink two whole mugs of beer without feeling so much of a buzz!"

The nordic shrugged "Means alcohol tolerance clearly doesn' t pass from generation to generation." Was it really a question of alcohol tolerance? The girl barely took a sip of beer and got as drunk as one could get!

"But she's from Belgium! Irene said so herself: 'Belgians are born for drinking beer' " the mico nation whined.

"I'm not drunk!" protested the human, pulling the poor defenceless Lili in a bear hug "Oooooh, you smell like shampoo! I like shampoo! I like people who wash their hair! Do you wash your body with soap?"

The older girl desperatly tried freeing herself from the grip but she had somehow learnt about the girl's injury and decided against touching ether of her arms (yeah... she might have forgotten which arm was half dead) instead she just nodded uncomfortably.

"That's awesome! Me too! We should start a facebook page for all those who wash themselves!" beamed the 'not drunk' girl.

At this point, all the behaving girl wanted to do was to go home. No. She could not think like that. Her brother would never forgive himself if she was to suffer for him to enjoy life. For once she had to be a normal teenager. But what if she made a mstake? What if her brother ended having to sew all the holes she made by having fun? The girl sighed. Life was so full of dilemmas. God must have found it fun to watch humans tear themselves apart in front of impossible descisions. Lucky for her, she wasn't human.

"Isn't this the best opportunity to find out more about her?" Lichtenstein asked, putting everyone's heart at risk. "I-I'm curious too!"

"I like this side of you!" Sealand conplimented with a killer smile.

Iceland nodded in affirmation "My turn to tease her now."

Latvia smirked (okay, first he's a ninja and then he smirks like an evil mastermind? That guy is definitely not who we think he is.) before regaining his normal timid self and finnishing his third glass of polish vodka (When did he...? Nevermind.) "Why not?"

" Aaaaaaaaare you talking about me?" the aforementionned 'not drunk' sang, leaning further against a really awkward Lichtenstein like if she was a big fluffy teddy bear.

" Yup." affirmed Iceland "What do you think of Xiang?" he then asked with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"He's cool! And his eyebrows aren't as big as I thought they would be. And he's an awesome sensei... wazzit shifu? Whatever, awesome shooting teacher. So far, he' s the country I had most fun with. But cantonese sucks. How do people do to look so angry all the time?" the girl rambled bobbing her head from left to right.

"Yeah, I think we understood cantonese wasn't exactly your favourite language." Sealand muttered.

"My exact question is, do you have any feelings for him?" Iceland articulated, making a 'wait for explanations' sign with his hands (wich was more a simple 'wait' sign but who cares?).

"Don't know, don't care." the belgian declared "He's like my second favourite guy in the world... worlds."

The silver haired boy cocked an eyebrow "Who's first?"

"Adrien!" she chirped while releasing the now traumatized nation. For some reason, the blonde wasn't expecting that answer. Wether it be because she thought Irene had more important friends and family members than a guy she met a week ago or because she expected Hong Kong to appear on top of the list, she didn't know. Logic would have it that the first guess was the most probable, yet Lichtenstein couldn't get rid of the second one. Something was wrong with that girl, terribly wrong. She did not give off the vibe a normal teenager should. Truth be told, Irene frightened her.

"Who's Adrien?" Latvia asked, frowning when the brunette didn't answer. Irene's face was stuck to the table, her arms around her head and her back rising with her peaceful breaths. It didn't take a genius to figure out she was asleep.

The long depated Mr. Awkward Silence came back with his wife, Mrs. Uncomfortable Atmosphere. The remaining teenagers and Sealand all decided against asking help fom an adult, mainly to avoid the exposure of a certain human and the endless questionning the presence of a random glass of beer (and four of vodka) would ensue. Was the beer really a mistake made by the bartender? How can anyone fail to realize they're pouring from a glass of beer into a glass of juice? Moreover, not only had he served four other glasses of apple juice but the alcoholic and non alcholic beverages were on opposite sides of the counter! Something fishy was going on... Fish live in the sea... Iceland lives in the sea... Iceland has a dark smirk. Much like Latvia, the nordic had the stereotyped 'my plans never fail' face. The two were quite close, Lichtenstein recalled, maybe not friends but definitely on good terms. If the glances the two exchanged were not enough to indicate an accomplice relationship between them, the 'sealed deal' handshake across the table was.

Somewhere in her heart, the female nation was glad Sealand looked as confused as her. It was hard to always be the odd one out. But the joy was short lived as she focused on the small Baltic again. She was intrigued by him, especially since she noticed that double personnality of his. Russia must have had affected him in some way, the guy drank vodka like water and played with people's minds like with puppets! She had heard stories of Russia's growing influence, seizing every opportunity to make everyone his... if not him. The girl was horrified. Poor Latvia! It was a truly terrible thing that had happened to him! Lili couldn't even begin to imagine the horrors of living with Russia.

Speaking of the devil is never a good thing. It's usually at that moment that he appears to take away your soul and ban your existence to an eternity of excrutiating agony.

Latvia, Sealand and Lichtenstein all froze when the giant stopped at their table. He tilted his head in a worried manner and reached out for the sleeping Irene, carefully avoiding her left arm. Iceland, who wore a wary look despite no fear, gestured not to worry with his hands, afraid to break the silence. The boy did seem like the type not to disrupt anything, he was more of a follower than a leader. The corners of Russia's mouth crooked upwards in a sincere looking way but Lili knew better than to trust the man. There was simply no way the former Soviet Union could truly care for a meek human. He was heartless, cruel and power thirsty. No matter how much Switzerland tried to stay neutral towards Russia, it was obvious in his words he felt such greed comming from the scarfed devil.

Yes, she was kind hearted. Yes, she hated hating. Yes, she knew times had changed. But her life could be depending on it and she still would not trust Russia. There was a reason everyone hated him, countries were too smart to stop at prejudices. Well at least, that was how Lichtenstein thought. Being the small dependent country she was, the others all seemed like Gods to her eyes, especially her brother.

The amethyst eyed man stretched is arms to wrap them around the sleeping teen and picked her up with ease, much like one picks up a feather. Sealand tried protesting against the kidnapping but Iceland held him back whist the two others were too intimidated to stand up against the world's biggest country. Lili threw an interrogating glance at Emil who himself had doubt in his eyes. He tried giving her a reassuring smile which failed. It mattered little to the swiss nation that Irene's name figured in her ''to avoid' list of people, the brunette's well-being was still partially her concern. Her confusion only grew when Russia thanked the island nation. Were the two of them friends? No. Allies? Russia couldn't have friends. The man probably didn't even know what it meant to give without receiving.

Against all forces of nature, Germany gave a friendly nod in Russia's direction as he came to pick up Sealand in Engand's stead. His eyes lingered on the human for a while out of curiosity but he showed no sign of hate. However, his face wasn't one of a friend but that of a colleague. A proffessional face that entrusted Russia with his job and nothing more.

Irene's arrival in this world was a curious thing. Everyone was changing, tensions were erased but also made, enemies became friends and secrets were multiplying. Was that a good thing? The girl certainly didn't give Lichtenstein a good impression. There was just something terribly wrong with her. She seemed so fake, so manipulating... But why was Lili the only one to see that?


	19. 24 England's Quest: The fall of Kiev

**Okay, first of all, sorry for the late update. I'd love to say it was due to the start of school or something really important but unfortunately, my excuse is a mixture of manga updates I couldn't read because I was in chinese camp, a new addiction to Scandinavia and The World, watching Hetaoni, Hetaquest, Romaheta and hetahazard, 9gag... So yeah. I procrastinated.**

**Oh well.**

**This chapter marks the start of the actual plot! (that took a while) It turned into something completely different from what I had in mind!**

**I own Hetalia just as much as I own Obama's necktie.**

* * *

The Fall of Kiev

_Time seemed frozen for the ten year old. Not a single sound reached her ears, not a single smell tickled her nose, not a single movement caught her attention. Her own body could have been mistaken for a statue were it not for the blood seeping from multiple deep gashes printed on her skin. She had no way of knowing the exact number of minutes that had passed since falling in the pit of white sand, even a simple approximate was too much to ask. The blonde shut her eyes, trying to remember even the most meaningless change that had occurred after the fall but nothing came to her. What if time really had stopped in its tracks? The girl could only pray for it not to be true. Only time was capable of numbing the excruciating pain running through her body._

_Her face was already drowned in tears, her lungs emptied, her vocal cords strained beyond use and her face muscles painfully cramped from crying for help. But it didn't matter. The pain paled in comparison to the torture her own body put her through. She was tired, exhausted and hungry, an addition to her agony was little to care about. There were even moments where she stopped feeling anything, where she stopped thinking anything, moments where she temporally passed out… Only to be awoken by the pain she managed to briefly ignore. She couldn't even move to seek for a more comfortable position!_

_Even if she could move it wouldn't have made much of a difference. She was trapped in a snow prison, a bubble of tightly grouped snowflakes with only a hole on the ceiling. The small window was the only shield against complete desperation, it proved to her that the cage had a weakness, that it could be broken… but the cost was just as obvious. Even a blurry mind like hers could tell a strike at the ceiling would have made everything crumble on her. On the bright side, the sight of stars gave her a bit of comfort, yet they too seemed to have frozen. It may have only been the tears messing with her eyesight or her dizzy mind unable to process information. Either ways, time seemed frozen._

_The blonde was pathetically sprawled on the corner of the cold cage much like an abandoned puppet, her limbs resting on the snow. Such a position forbade the heat from embracing her shaking body and invited the winds to penetrate her thick clothes. What wouldn't she have done for a flame? For a flicker of heat? She considered hugging the woman trapped with her for body heat but the idea was immediately chased from her thoughts. While it was true her paralysis kept her from doing so, reality was the main cause._

_She couldn't keep the illusion the light haired woman was sleeping anymore when the latter's skin was so pale… Almost blue. Her chest showed no movement and her blood had long stopped flowing. She was lying in front of the blond child in a crescent moon shape, her face partially covered by her white, entangled hair. Her arms were positioned in front of her lifeless body from having held on to the ten year old and acted as a shield. Yes, it was her fault the woman had died. She had been careless and brought another to her death._

_Death… A few hours ago, the concept would have frightened the child but at this moment it seemed so appealing. What if the gentle kiss of the Grimm reaper turned out to be the only escape? She wasn't scared of it. Pain was worse than death. Would she regret dying? Regret having gone nowhere with her life? No. She wouldn't regret anything. Unlike what most people seemed to believe in, there was no life after death. Spirits had no lingering feelings. Spirits did not exist._

_She couldn't have wished for a better time for reality to come crashing down on her. All her beliefs, in possible gods, fairies, mythical creatures… Magic, karma… None of it existed. And she couldn't care less. She was already resigned to her fate. _

_But did she want to die?_

_There was no answering the question. She wasn't eager for her life to reach its end but she wasn't sure she wanted it to continue either. Her ten year old mind knew all those she cared about were dead, taken away by General Winter. It knew she only lived for them. A screw up like her had no hopes of going anywhere in life. All she could do was support others in their dreams, watch them accomplish things she could not, congratulate them while holding back her jealousy, catch them when they fell only to watch them fly higher than she could ever wish for… At least life wouldn't miss her either. Not when _she_ was supposed to die instead of the angel of a woman lying in a place too cold for her warm soul._

… _As if she needed another pain in her heart. No matter what her lifeless outer appearance suggested, she couldn't ignore her feelings and pains. They were mush too intense to. Anger, sadness, fear, worry, pain, hatred, cold, fatigue, homesickness… She couldn't tell which was winning, which was bowing down to the victor, which were present, which caused her tears, which were products of her broken imagination… Her own heart felt like it was imitating artillery instead of pumping blood! Why was her body set on fighting a war against itself? Couldn't the world leave her at peace?! Or at least, couldn't her body allow her to vent on something? She knew keeping her feelings bottled up was never a good thing but the state she was in forbid her to move._

_The best she could manage was clench her teeth and stare at the night._

_Miracles did not exist._

* * *

**Scotland **stared at the sheet of paper with nothing more than a speck of thought running through his mind. Whether it be surprise or confusion short circuiting his brain was a debate with no real answer, it could have been both for all he knew. It mattered little anyway, the fact is, he was staring blankly at the paper drowned in his own handwriting. And he had been doing so for quite a while.

It was a rare sight to see the ginger at loss of words (or thoughts since he was alone). Scratch that. The whole scene could have come from the imagination of a psychiatric patient who ate England's not-so-reliable food. It was quite a spectacular event to have Scotland sitting at his desk working with all the focus he could muster, the closest drop of alcohol out of his reach. He seemed so serious, glasses framing his eyes, papers and books spread all over the wooden surface, pen in hand… He himself had been so entranced in his work to notice his own drastic change of behaviour.

It took a lot for Scotland's interest to be sucked in whole and apparently old Slavic books sufficed. Not any old Slavic book of course, this one looked quite new as a matter of fact. It had a metallic grey cover and was outlined with neon sky blue straps, unfortunately deprived from a title. If only it had been named 'England don't you dare open this' or 'France used it in unorthodox ways', anything to keep his younger sibling away from it! But noooo! Moreover, why was the first page in English? English hadn't even spread to Eastern Europe when old Slavic was still spoken! And why the spell? Too many questions to answer. He decided on focusing on the text in his hand.

It had taken him no less than three days to translate accurately the first pages after the spell. Asking one of the soviet siblings for help had crossed his mind but he was reluctant to approach them. If Belarus and Russia were mental to a point of no return, Ukraine couldn't exactly be sane either. That and he didn't want to involve too many people in the send-Irene-back comity. Anyway, it was translated.

However, that did not help much.

The whole thing made as much sense as to him as political parties made sense to a three year old kid. Especially the title. It was common knowledge (amongst countries) that Kiev had died being a full fledged (and hot) adult, why was she a kid in this story? Not to forget her kids were alive! Unless she didn't give a fuck about them, it was a bit harsh to say all her loved ones were dead. How about the spell? It had absolutely no relation to – _Oh shit_.

Scotland hastily rummaged through all his translated papers and drafts to take out the small paragraph he managed to make out a few days before. He reread it once and found it much more interesting than the first time. He frowned.

_Artie absolutely CANNOT know about this_, he thought, picturing his younger brother's reaction. The tensions under the Union Jack were already thick enough without adding new ones. He cast aside the image of his brother and himself fighting over the information to concentrate on finding a solution.

**Click!**

Scotland nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of the door unlocking. In panic, he swiped across his desk and stuffed the papers in the first drawer he reached, It was all he had time to do before France and his little brother (emphasis on little) entered his sight.

"Bonjour ~ " France cooed "I'm here to tuck l'Angleterre in his bed! Kids shouldn't stay up so late right?" The blond was still wearing a suit reminding Scotland his brother's previous whereabouts.

"Your presence pisses Arthur off so I can't see why you wouldn't be welcomed here." Smirked Scotland while receiving a death glare from the shrunken nation "How was the meeting?" He got up from his chair and headed to the kitchen to get a glass of whiskey after stretching the bottle towards France.

The blonde politely refused "I have to drive back… And the night is still young, I'll have plenty to drink at my local bars, if you know what I mean." He cocked his eyebrow suggestively earning a laugh from the Scotsman "Back to business. The meeting. It was fairly interesting… The whole world did learn about Irene after all."

_They learnt abou – uh oh_ "And their reactions?" the red head asked careful not to betray his thoughts.

"A few of them seem to have grown attached to her. Especially la Russie." The Frenchman frowned at the memory "However, he chose to hide that fact unaware that I am well trained in detecting feelings and emotions ~"

Russia? The book was not lying. Plus, nations getting attached to her? That wasn't good.  
Understatement.  
That was really bad. There was simply no way of putting it without underestimating the situation. "What decisions were taken?" he asked hoping France wasn't paying attention to him. The Frenchman wasn't kidding when he said he was good at detecting hidden emotions and no nation dared to doubt the man's wisdom concerning therapy and advice.

Luckily, the blonde was too busy annoying England to analyse Scotland's face "She's free to do whatever she wants under the restrictions voted by the nations: No divulging our existence, no messing with our work, no criminal acts, always staying with at least one nation and all the things common sense implies." Could things get worst for him?

…

Knowing his luck, yes. Why couldn't he have been showered with all the four leaf clovers crap like Ireland? Now was not the time to go through everything that was wrong with him, he had to think. The priority would be finding Irene and having a private chat with her. He had spent no more than a few days with her but he knew she was rational and selfless, warning her could only make her more cautious… _Would it really?_ Irene was only human. She may have been an angel on the outside there was no way she was clean of the selfishness and greed ever so present in the human nature.

"Scotland! Are you listening to me?" England's voice immediately snapped the ginger out of his thoughts.

"No." he deadpanned.

The ten year old face palmed "I asked if you found anything worth investigating in the book."

"…" Scotland hesitated. What should he tell them? Lying was barely an option with France suddenly taking interest in his answer and the truth… No. The truth could not be found out. "It's written in ancient Slavic." He finally said "Something to do with General Winter. Actually…" _Quick. Think quick_. "It seems to be about Kievan Rus and her childhood."

"Kie -" France's blue eyes darkened a few shades "A tragic fate for such a brilliant lady…" he lost himself in his thoughts before focusing on reality "What does it say about her?"

_Damn frog_, Scotland cursed at first. _Wait a minute… France knows a lot about Kieven Rus' death_… The red head smirked "I need to know more about her death if I want to extract more from the book. What do you know?"

The blond was taken aback "Her death? How morbid even for you…" He sighed "Well if it's for a good cause… To humans, she was killed from falling in a deep pit while trying to escape an avalanche but, while she did fall, we nations know she was killed by that winter spirit… What was his name… General Winter. After all, it is a well known fact personifications can only die by the hands of other personifications." France paused, a frown taking its place between his brows "There is however, a curious thing about her death: Russia. Losing one's mother is a terrible thing but he was affected beyond what should be possible. If I remembered correctly, he wasn't even close to her."

"… Are you insinuating his drastic change of personality was due to Kiev's death?" Scotland asked.

Arthur scoffed "Well of course it is! How did you not notice it? One day we learn of her death and the next the cute Ivan suddenly has an overwhelming murderous aura. Did you think it was a coincidence?"

Scotland thought back to the day he received a message from Ukraine warning him about the woman's death. He hadn't paid much attention (which he now regretted) to the news written on the formal scented paper. No, that was wrong. Kieven Rus' death had been of great interest for all the countries but only few of them actually cared about the woman. Her land was all that had value to their eyes. As much as it shamed him, Scotland could only accept the fact he had once been so cold hearted as to ignore the mourning nations.

Therefore, It was only natural he dismissed Russia's behaviour as not important.

If it was in a human's nature to be selfish, it was in a nation's nature to give life, relationships and feelings little value. And maybe it was cruel of them, maybe it was evil, arrogant or heartless. It surely was, but there was nothing to be done about it. Hundreds of years of betrayals, murders, wars, taunting, torture, humiliation… There was no ignoring what they saw. From the deepest friendships turning to a stab in the back to siblings taking everything away from each other, everything they witnessed seemed to warn against caring.

That was the scotsman's philosophy, his beliefs.

He was cold hearted and meant to be.

He was only acting how a nation should.

Irene was just a simple human who was not where she was supposed to be.

She had to go back.

_No matter how guilty I feel about it._

Guilt? What guilt? He had no need to feel guilt. He was doing the right thing!

"No. This isn't right." England pointed out. Scotland's head snapped towards his little brother faster than it should have. "Why would a book about Kiev have a spell that brings someone from another world here?"

"I don't know." He said, rubbing his aching neck and hiding his relief. For a second there he thought Arthur could read his thoughts. But the boy's question was valid. Scotland had no clue, despite what he knew, why the spell was in there. He had learnt of it exact effects, of the kind of person it would bring but the reason for its existence remained a mysterious blur in the personification's mind. Digging into Kiev's past was the only way to attain an answer.

No.

No answer was needed. The more he knew the more he would be reluctant to send Irene back. If he couldn't bear sacrificing a person's happiness to protect the world as he knew it, who would?

"You guys are going to have to give me more time. I'll tell you once I crack the book's secret. However, there is one problem." He warned "There is no other spell a part from the one you read, Arthur. The return spell does not exist; you'll have to figure one out yourself."

"Well you boys seem to have beaucoup de pain sur la planche (a lot of work to do), I'll head home for now. Bisous~ (kisses~)" France winked at the two before skipping to the door without forgetting to blow them kisses. The Frenchman had always hated conversations about magic, it was something he simply didn't believe in and thought was absurd. The united kingdom, along with Norway and Romania had always used it to escape from the pervert's presence.

"I'd better get some sleep too." England said between (adorable) yawns. He really did look like Sealand's long lost twin brother. "Don't you dare make a single comment about kids going to bed early. I will tear your bloody head off." … Or his young pirate self.

"Good night then." Scotland wished, eager to be left with only his thoughts for company. He watched the brit walk up the stairs and disappear in his room and rushed back to his desk once out of sight.


	20. 25 When dreams predict winter

**I'm sorry, this chapter is a bit short compared to my recent ones... On the bright side, I planned my whole story :D! I'm also giving up on the double title thingy 'cause I like giving long chapter titles and fanfiction has a limited amount of letter per title.**

**Look! The plot is actually moving and at quite a pace!**

**I just have a question for you reviewers out there, would you rather have me write more friendship fluff between Russia and other countries or directly skip to someone else's POV (like England or... Mouahaha I'm not telling you who else plays an important part yet :P) and go back to Irene and HK after they've managed to make a few friends? England and the others POV focus on the actual plot while Russia, Irene and HK's focus on Russia making friends and the three becoming closer and closer before moving on to the actual plot. Both happen at the same time so it won't have a crappy "After a month of Russia making friends...". I'll still have one arc of Russia's friendlist for the plot oriented choice but the other will have two or three.**

**Read and review please!**

* * *

The silver hair and red eyes immediately gave away the boy's identity, despite **Hong Kong** not being very familiar with European ex-nations. Prussia was sitting in the snow that faded him in the background, his eyes reminding the world of his presence. He hadn't changed much. His smile still translated an unrivalled ego and his stare a bitter loneliness. He was however, considerably younger as the symbol of the Teutonic knights defined the child's age from his white clothes. His physical appearance set itself to that of a seven years old boy who had seen too many hardships and lived to many wars, which he no doubt had.

He seemed to give little care for the blizzard that surrounded him, one that – thank god – Hong Kong could not feel. It wasn't just any blizzard but one of a massive scale, one that could destroy armies and famish continents, freezing in its way all that it could. A simple glance around was enough to see the powerful natural disaster had shaved the land of everything but snow and ice. And yet the boy just sat in the middle of the white chaos, staring at the cruel white sky.

The boy suddenly turned to face Hong Kong, a flash of worry in his eyes "I guess you found me…"

"Found you? I wasn't even-" the teen started, before being interrupted by a calm, soothing voice.

"It's not really a challenge considering your confidence can be felt all the way from the Far East." The words came from behind him, where a beautiful woman stood, wrapped in a warm and colourful cloak. Her long premature white hair was almost invisible under the heavy jewelleries she wore and her pale skin and sky blue eyes went unnoticed in contrast with the vivid fabric that could be seen even through the thickness of the blizzard. She held a small tired smile as she peacefully made her way to where the future Prussian empire sat and kneeled to match his height.

The albino just sighed "How did you even find out about it?" he asked, completely ignoring Hong Kong. He displayed a small pout, pretending to be unhappy someone had found out about a secret of his. Only a small glimmer of hope in his voice showed how thankful he truly was to have someone to talk to.

The woman let out a song like laugh, ruffling his hair like a mother would tease her son "Call it a woman's instinct." She gave him a wink and crawled her way to sit next to him. "General Winter is particularly generous this year." Her smile turned sad as she lied down to stare at the raging sky "I think there isn't a single snowflake he'll keep to himself."

Prussia turned his gaze back to the hell over his head, a wave of pity crashing on his facial features. "What did you do?" he asked "This is not a normal winter, Kiev. The air is full of dark magic and you… you're…"

"Dying." The woman finished "I must reek of death by now, especially to your eyes."

"What happened?" the boy insisted.

"War happened." Kiev answered, watching her fellow nation nod in understanding "War is a terrible disaster. It makes people do things worthy of the devil, mistreat their equals and wish harm on those who were just born under the wrong star... I used to believe I had control over myself and that I ruled my people, you know? I used to think I'd become the greatest empire if I worked hard enough, that I'd make everyone become friends, even the French and the English." The two smiled at the picture of young France and England being best of friends before Kiev resumed. "But I guess it's impossible after all. This world is defined by war and written by blood. Hate runs our people who, in turn, run us. We don't even have power over our own feelings for God's sake!"

Prussia suddenly became wary, frowning at the woman who fought to hold her tears back "What did you do? Don't tell me you tried to change something. Last time a nation did that, it really did not end well."

"No. I did the opposite." The woman replied, her stare lost in her own thoughts "I fully accepted my people's will and acted on it, devoting my every breath to their cause… What happened after is for me to weep about." She ended, chasing the memory from her mind.

The Teutonic Order did not hide his disappointment "Fine. Be that way." He grumbled "Just keep in mind that the more I know, the more accurate and useful the information I will give you will be."

"I know." Kiev smiled "Thank you."

"You're welcome, the awesome me will try to satisfy your need for knowledge." The boy smirked, regaining the cockiness he was well known for.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong's brain was desperately trying to connect the dots. He knew Kievan Rus was the soviet siblings' mother; it was kind of hard not to notice it with how much she looked like Ukraine. However, he ignored why she was talking with a young Prussia.

…

What was he even doing there?

The last thing he remembered was arriving at Russia's house where he was going to spend the whole month. Irene had insisted they travel to meet more countries and Hong Kong had seen it as an opportunity to find out more about the girl… But how did that escalate to travelling a few hundred years back? When exactly was this anyway? The boy focused on his small knowledge of European history, searching for the approximate date of Kiev's death.

Thirteenth century.

He had travelled to the thirteenth century.

Hong Kong pinched himself, begging his brain to wake up from a dream, hoping this was nothing but a product of his imagination, panicking and –

* * *

The teen face palmed at his stupidity. Of course it had been a dream! Time travel doesn't exist unless you're on drugs (or if you're England)! He mentally scolded himself for panicking like a girl when facing his own subconscious as he slowly left the bed. But the feeling of uneasiness had taken its roots in his stomach and something told Hong Kong his dream wouldn't be forgotten in a long time.

He headed downstairs to eat breakfast, careful not to wake anyone up. Stupid jetlag. He finally reached the kitchen, surprised at the cleanness of it. Everything looked new and untouched. Who knew Russia was a clean freak? He found bread and nutella (pretty sure Irene had something to do with its presence in Russia's house), took out a plate and went to eat at the dining table.

While his actions were focused on filling the void his stomach was, his thoughts pondered on the strange dream he had. It was weird enough for him to dream about a country he had barely met, but Kiev? He had never even seen a picture of the woman! And assuming it wasn't Kiev and that his brain had completely created the image of her, he remembered the dream's details a bit too well. As in he remembered everything, from the sound the blizzard made to the smallest gesture.

Something was off.

Not just about the dream, something was seriously off.

It was freezing.

Hong Kong glanced at the thermometer that sat next to the television. Minus five degrees Celcius. That… seemed normal for Russia… _right?_ It was only April, the temperature was bound to be lower than Hong Kong was used to… _right?_

**Crash!**

"Hey! What's with the rush? It's only six!" Hong Kong heard Irene cry from upstairs. It took no time for Russia to enter his sight, running down the creaking stairs with three big bags, one of which Hong Kong recognized to be his.

"You wanted to travel, da? The airport will get crowded if we don't depart soon." Explained the giant, a bit of stress showing in his voice. He noticed Hong Kong and smiled "Privyet Hong Kong! Slept well?" The island nodded in reply.

Irene soon followed the big country, still putting her coat on "Hey Xiang!" she quickly greeted.

"Morning." He returned, completely calm compared to the two others. How could they have so much energy in the morning?

Russia nervously looked through the nearby window "Hong Kong already ate breakfast… I guess it means we'll eat ours at the airport."

Hong Kong frowned. It couldn't be… No. A dream was just a dream. Nothing more. But still, it was worth a try. "Is it about General Winter?"

Russia and Irene stopped in their tracks and stared at the asian nation "You're smarter than you look, da?" Russia answered "Yes. It seems he is stirring despite it being quite late in the year for that. To be frank, I think it's worst than usual. The last time he manifested out of season like that was…" the man's eyes turned sad, obviously remembering something he would rather not.

Hong Kong didn't especially enjoy rubbing salt in a wound but this time, curiosity got the best of him "The time Kiev died." He finished, watching as the pair of purple eyes widen in surprise. So his dream did have some truth to it. Now the question was finding the extent of that truth.

"Then it's really bad." Irene said "We really should go!" The two nations stared at Irene. "What? I hate winter! My arm is half dead because of it, remember?"

"Guys!" Hong Kong called, snapping their attention to him "Even if General Winter is coming out when he shouldn't, I seriously doubt the temperature will suddenly drop in an hour."

"It has already dropped." Russia sighed "The minimal temperature of Moscow in April is zero degrees celcius. There is no wind, no rain or snow and the sun is shining for once yet it's minus five. This is not a normal winter."

"That's a bit off the mark." Irene corrected "It's not winter at all."

"Okay fine! I get it, we should rush." Surrendered Hong Kong, both hands in the air "But do you guys even know where you want to go?"

"How about Belgium?" the girl suggested "I've never been there!"

Russia frowned in confusion "I thought you were Belgian."

"Oh, I am." The girl affirmed "But my mom got pregnant with me when she was seventeen so she tried marrying my dad but all four of my grandparents were against it and they ended up eloping to Greece before making a bit of money and leaving for Hong Kong. They never went back to Belgium, though we did go together to Switzerland." She took a long breath before finishing "I really want to see my country so, please?"

"Sure," Russia agreed, more eager to leave than to argue "Let's go."


	21. 26 Strength in Smiles

**Belgium! :D  
I feel pride in writing my own country, okay? Don't blame me.  
I did manage to turn her into a bitch somehow though... I'm so sorry, I don't know what happened.  
On the bright side, she'll get better :)**

**I do not own hetalia.**

* * *

**Belgium **hated war. Most countries did of course, however, out of all of them, she hated the fighting the most. It wasn't so much for the incredible amounts of deaths or the mental scarring it caused, that she could deal with. Her mind was strong enough; she could be psychologically tortured for months without giving in. No, what she hated the most was that her body couldn't catch up with her spirit. War reminded her how weak she was, how much of a burden she proved to be to other countries.  
The Cold War hadn't been better.

"… You okay, Bel?" her brother's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Netherlands was sitting right next to her, his eyes looking straight at hers. He was so silent, casually reading his newspaper, that Belgium had completely forgotten about him "You're pale."

"Bel bel's sick?" Luxembourg suddenly asked, popping from behind the couch. His green eyes were blurred with worry and darkened from working too much. Belgium sighed, why was her little brother being worked to death? The poor guy seriously needed a break. Moreover, it was incredible he still found the time to worry for her. Such a nice, cosy family she had.

"I'm fine. Just a nightmare I hadn't had in a long time." She explained. There was no point in lying to her brothers, not only would Luxembourg immediately detect the lie but Netherlands would glare at her until she spoke the truth. When Netherlands glared, he always got what he wanted. "We're countries, it's normal for us to have reminders of our past from time to time. Plus, you guys chased my demons away by being such good brothers!" She pulled the two in a hug, much to her older sibling's displeasure.

"It's kind of a coincidence, I had a nightmare too." Admitted the younger of the three "There was fire everywhere and people blaming me." the boy shivered "And they weren't wrong, I had a lighter in my hand."

"Awwww… Don't worry Lux! Nee-chan is here to protect you!" the woman tightened her grip on both her brothers "Worst case, Ned will save us both! There's nothing that scares him so he won't be eaten up by nightmares, right Ned?" she turned to Netherlands who just avoided her gaze "…Ned?" Belgium released her grip.

"…" His shoulders slumped in defeat "No one is immune to fear."

"Don't tell me you had a nightmare too." Belgium sighed "That's too much of a coincidence. Did we watch a scary movie or something recently?"

"We didn't." Netherlands denied.

"… Isn't that because we never do anything together?" asked Luxembourg, a bit sad to face the truth.

"…"

"…"

"LET'S SPEND THE DAY TOGETHER!" Belgium joyfully declared, grabbing her siblings' hands and dragging them away from the house.

"I have work!" Luxembourg complained, hiding a smile.

"…" Netherlands shrugged, taking his coat due to the unusual cold temperature. It was a wonder why winter was so unpredictable; just when you think it's over, it comes back.

* * *

The streets of Brussels were bustling with life as always, old buildings surrounding the siblings as the calmly walked around, taking in the fresh air and the rare good weather.

"For the last time, I don't eat cats!" yelled an exasperated voice.

"I don't trust you." Claimed a low, defensive tone. Belgium and her brothers made their way through the crowd to see the commotion that disturbed the peaceful city of Brussels. A few minutes in their family stroll, the three had noticed a large gathering next to a small café. About fifty to sixty civilians were flocking around an argument which from what they could hear, was in English.

The first thing they managed to catch a glimpse of sank their hearts into fear. Silver strands of hair could be seen, overstepping the normal height. As the dived further in the crowd, purple eyes, a large nose and a pale pink scarf attached themselves to the portrait, confirming their first guess. Russia. Belgium slowed her pace. Russia… What would he be doing in her country? The man was never a messenger of good news but an omen of catastrophe.

She could still remember when he had tried to bring her family into the Soviet Union. She could remember the hidden threats in his words, the eyes that looked at them like mere war trophies, the deals too tempting to be without trap… The constant dilemmas him and his Russian mind games created in her head were too recent and too scarring not to cloud her judgement on his person. She hated him, loathed him for the Cold War, her teeth gritted with the simple memory of him going around convincing countries to become one with him.

"Cats are not on any menu for God's sake!" Unexpectedly, what she heard was not Russia's voice. It was higher and free from the childish tone. But the sea of people unabled her to see who had just spoken.

She did manage to see who he was talking to, though. With a wary expression on his face, Greece stood in the middle of the circle formed by the Belgian citizens. He looked half asleep but the fire in his eyes could be seen from miles away. "Why would I believe you?" he argued.

Finally, Belgium broke through the wall of people, followed by her siblings "Stop!" she yelled. The woman inspected the scene in front of her, purposely ignoring the tall Russian. On one side was Greece, her most loyal visitor (since he had heard about the cat festival, he became very fond of the small country) and on the other was Russia and two teenagers, one of which she swore she had seen before.

The familiar boy broke the silence she had created "Thank God you're here Belg – uhm, Emma! Could you please tell Greece my people do not eat cats?"

"Emma won't lie for you, cat-eater." Greece growled, ignoring the irritated groan that escaped the boy's mouth. "Everyone knows China eats cats."

"Isn't that the point?" Russia suddenly interrupted, obviously enjoying the fight "He's not China, he's Hong Kong." The giant paused for a while, suddenly realizing his mistake "-ese. Hong Kongese. Not Chinese. Ah~ English is such a difficult language!"

"… Idiots." Netherlands deadpanned.

"Don't call people bad names Lars." Belgium pouted, eager to face her brother instead of Russia.

"What are you doing in nee-chan's coun – Why are you visiting nee-chan?" Luxembourg asked between yawns, not showing the tiniest hint of fear in front of the imposing country. Her younger brother has already surpassed her in many ways… Belgium sighed. He wouldn't always be the innocent kid he was.

"Visiting." Greece answered, his past anger already drowning in his usual sleepiness.

"Same." Russia chirped.

Hong Kong grimaced "… and being falsely accused." He glanced towards Greece, clearly pointing at him with his stare.

"So much tension!" the other teenager sighed with a fake dramatic tone. "We were supposed to enjoy our stay here, not create a new war." She turned to Belgium, a big smile appearing on her features "So you're Be – Emma! I'm so glad I finally get to meet you!" The girl stretched her arm towards the country "Goedemorgen, Ik heet Irene (Good morning, I am Irene)."

"Irene?" Belgium broke into a grin, suddenly feeling the need to care for the girl. It was the kind of feeling every country felt for their citizens, that of a mother towards her children. "Aangename kennismaking (Nice to meet you)!"

"Since when do you speak Flemish?" Hong Kong asked Irene.

"It's my parent's first language! English is only their third. Anyway, I can't really speak Flemish; just the basics. However, I can understand like ninety percent of everything." Irene shrugged.

"How about we move out of here?" Russia suggested, a bit of discomfort showing on his face.

Just when Belgium was going to refuse with some kind of crappy excuse she could make on the spot, Luxembourg beat her to it… Unfortunately. "Let's just all head to Em's house."

_Did my brother just invite the world's psycho in my house? Oh dear God_. Belgium could already feel the horrors that would ensue. Maybe she could somehow make them change their mind? But she liked Irene and wanted her to stay, it was, after all, her home too. _Yeah but… Russia!_ "Mickeal!" she laughed nervously "We don't want to bore our guests to death, do we?"

"It's not boring… We can do loads of stuff, like… like… stuff…" Luxembourg trailed off, taken aback from the use of his full human name. Belgium couldn't blame him; she usually used 'Micky' when addressing him in public and 'Lux' between countries.

"Waffles." Netherlands suggested.

"Ooh! I love waffles!" Irene grinned "Mom used to make them all the time!"

_Damn it_, Belgium mentally swore. How could both her brothers be so… _okay_ with having the Russian around? Was she the odd one out? She loved them but they could be so oblivious at times!  
The image of Luxembourg, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, even of France having to stand firm against the growing influence of communism shot through her head once again. They had all been lucky to have America back then to protect them, who knew what the baltics, Ukraine and all the others had been through?  
_Pain, torture, excruciating agony_.  
No, she could not think like that. Her inner fight between Flemish and Walloon was tampering with her mind and feeding her angst. _That must be it_.

"Follow me, then." She smiled.

* * *

"What do you guys want to drink?" Belgium asked her guests, hoping the kitchen to be a good refuge from Russia.

"I'm good." Hong Kong politely turned down the offer.

"Same." Irene replied.

"I have brought my own bottle of vodka, thank you." Russia answered, taking out a bottle of Russian water.

"We can just help ourselves." Luxembourg shrugged. Netherlands just nodded in agreement.

"Oh, uhm, good." The blond woman carefully made her way to the couch on which Irene, Hong Kong and Luxembourg sat. "Scoot a bit Lux."

Awkward silence.

"Soooo," she started "How'd you like your country so far, Irene?"

The girl's face brightened "It's awesome! I wish I could have lived here – no offense Hong Kong."

"Non taken." Hong Kong sighed "You've made it clear my language was something you despised almost as much as England's cooking."

"I was drunk. Doesn't count." The girl huffed.

"Drunk?" Luxembourg asked.

"Iceland and Latvia spiked her drink at the bar after the meeting." Hong Kong smirked.

"Iceland and Latvia? Who would have thought?" Belgium giggled, trying to picture the calm and emotionless nordic and the shaking Baltic pulling a prank on someone. It just seemed so out of character of them to do such thing.

"Whoah, whoah wait!" Irene interrupted "They're the one who did that?"

"Oh right, you didn't know." Hong Kong teased, receiving playful punches from the girl.

The two teenagers started bickering like an old couple, completely ignoring their surroundings. Belgium couldn't help but laugh at the two's friendship, Luxembourg was quick to follow her and Netherlands even had a faint smile drawn on his lips.

Hong Kong and Irene's faces were so carefree and relaxed Belgium felt a pang of envy. When was the last time her brothers had smiled like that? When was the last time the whole family had the opportunity to bicker over something completely stupid? Had they ever had such a joy?  
If only she could light up her brother's expressions like Irene had lit up Hong Kong's.  
And before she could think twice, the words left her mouth "How about living with me?"

Silence.

Not getting any response, she continued "Being, well, Belgium, I feel responsible for you and you seem like a fun person, so why not stay here? I'll protect you from England!"

Irene looked surprised before breaking into a grin. Russia tensed. "Thanks but I think I'll stick with Russia." The tension in the russian's shoulders dissipated as Irene spoke her words "You don't have to burden yourself with me, spend more time with Luxembourg instead, he looks like he hadn't had holidays in centuries!"

Russia. Russia had been chosen over her.

_Smile, Belgium. Smile_. "It's great you've found someone to stay with!" _If you can't fight, smile_.

"Wait a second!" Luxembourg suddenly said "Where's Greece?"

…

…

Belgium facepalmed "That idiot fell asleep in the middle of the road again, didn't he?" She sighed and got up to grab her coat "I'll go look for him."  
_You won't find it if you can't smile_.  
_Shut up, brain_.

Much to her dread, another nation got up.  
"I'll help you." Russia added, following her to the door.

* * *

It was weird how the morning had seemed so sunny a few minutes earlier and so grey after the arrival of Russia. No. Belgium could see the rays of warmth embracing her people and caressing her land. Everything lied in her mood.

A cough emerged from her side, where Russia was walking.

He took a deep breath "Thank you." he said, his eyes staring in hers. They seemed different then she remembered, less happy but much more sincere. His smile had come to change too but how, she could not tell.

She stopped in her tracks and for the first time, looked straight at the man "Please don't thank me. I haven't done anything to help you." _You haven't done anything, Belgium_.

"In that case I should apologize," Russia continued "For imposing our presence in your country. Irene was so eager to see it, I couldn't say no."

"Blaming others?" She replied, a mocking tone escaping her lips. _Why aren't you smiling, Belgium?_

A small hint of sadness overtook the big nation's face yet his smile remained "That is not what I meant. However, I see you still hold hostility towards me, da?"

"Who doesn't?" the woman growled "You have tormented us for years because we didn't bow to your communism! You have played with our emotions, played with our thoughts and still believe we'll forgive you? Did you even see how lost we all were after a simple conversation with you? You blurred our right and our wrong, you made us doubt our most devoted convictions, you made us choose between fighting you or joining you, both of which seemed to bring misery. You're a horrible person!" _That's right. Only powerful people can smile. You're weak_.

"Then why do your brothers act like everything's fine?" Russia retorted, his smile slowly disappearing before once again resurfacing "I am sorry. Please do not mind me."

"Why?" Belgium asked "Why did _you_ follow _me_?"

The man paused. He shuffled nervously on his feet before answering, with an unsure voice "I have a favour to ask you." The woman stiffened "Irene is a great person, she's always trying her best for others so please, please don't let her see how much you hate me. Right now, she has this weird obsession of trying to get me to be friends with others… It's cute how she believes such a thing is possible, da?"

Belgium frowned. Russia looked so weak at the moment, despite his smile growing under his scarf. _Smile. Smile and one day, you'll find what you want and be what you want_. _Smile and one day, it will be sincere_.

"Fine." Belgium answered "I will pretend to be friendly, but don't get me wrong. This is for Irene."

Russia shrugged "I wasn't expecting more from you. It is on the other hand, a pity your cheerful self seems to die whenever I come close. I bet the others would cry seeing you like this."

"Oh don't flatter yourself." Belgium seethed "We both know you're the one who made me like this."

Russia's eyes widened, as if the news were fresh to his ears. He stared at the woman in front of him in shock. Slowly, his smile became more and more like the childish taunt that was his usual one and his purple eyes turned a few shades darker.

"Right." He chirped, his voice back in the innocent tone he enjoyed wrapping it in "Everything is _my _fault."

"What are you insinuating?" the woman asked, irritated by his vague answers.

"Nothing~" he hummed "I'm just realizing that some things never change."

_Smiling is winning in this world_.

_So why don't you smile?_

Belgium chased the words from her head and resumed walking, this time at a faster pace.  
Russia followed her.

"'Smiling is winning'." She quoted as she walked, catching the man's attention "I still don't understand what you meant."

"You-You remember that?" the russian's voice was mixed with emotions Belgium couldn't identify. She turned her head, catching the glimpse of a man who seemed so human to her eyes at that moment. His smile changed again, to one that stirred jealousy in the woman's heart. "Even I have fully understood the meaning only weeks ago."

Belgium froze again.

"Wait. What do you mean?" she asked "Those are your words! How can you not have understood them?" Anger built in her chest. It piled up, and piled up and… No. It wasn't anger. It was fear, fear of feeling guilty. Fear of having hated the wrong person for too long.

A small blush spread on to the giant's cheeks as his eyes closed to recall the words "They were my mother's words, her last words."

"Kieven Rus." Belgium concluded "Everything, everything you told me during the Cold War were her words and not yours?"

"Da." He confirmed, curious at the woman's fascination with the words. "I thought you looked a lot like me. Your expression I mean. The image of you, smiling and laughing among your siblings was still the only I one I could picture in my mind. When I saw you broken by the World Wars I told you mother's words, the same she told me when I had broken down, In hopes you would understand them even if I didn't." the man let out a laugh, a small pathetic laugh "But no matter what I tell you, you won't believe me. Because I am Russia, da?"

"…"

"We should hurry up, da? I do not think Greece should wander around for too long alone." Russia resumed walking, passing Belgium.

_Smile_. He wasn't mocking her when he said those words. He himself was following them.  
Belgium knew what had changed in his smile.  
It was sincere.  
She understood the words.  
He had smiled. He had won. He had triumphed over all those who wished for his misery.  
And all she could do was hide behind the perfect mask she had created, the one that resembled her before the wars.  
She was jealous of him for having gone a few steps forward.  
And to add to all that, she felt guilty for hating him.  
All he spoke had been the truth and it had hurt because that was what truth did.

_When you are weak, all you can do is smile. If you can't, then you have lost_.

She had been weak.  
She had lost her smile.  
And she had taken those words as insults when all they were was advice.

Maybe she could give the man a second chance?


	22. 27 Reality can never compete

**I guess the question I asked before was pretty vague... But thanks for the feedback :D**

**I'm just gonna alternate the plot and the waffle making, so here's a bit of plot!**

**Also, I know the dreams are weird but they're just there to spare me the trouble of having to tell the past in a boring manner.**

**THANKS TO ALL REVIEWERS! I know I don't answer a lot, and I feel really bad for it but I keep forgetting to do so. Sorry...?**

**Hetalia is mine, cause we all know fourteen - oh wait, soon to be fifteen! (insert a completely useless and exaggerated moment of excitement) - year old teenage girls who are too lazy to remove their keyboards from their drawing pads can all totally create a whole masterpiece like Hetalia.  
No but serously, please don't sue me. I don't own Hetalia.**

* * *

**Iceland** had always had a lot off potential concerning magic, he just couldn't be bothered to practice it, much to his brother's dismay. How many times had the latter lectured him on his 'wasted talent'? Sure he could see demons and fairies, sure he could even make a few spells if he tried but he found no particular interest in that kind of thing.  
Somehow, he now regretted not taking it seriously.

He tore his gaze away from the car window the rain blurred and turned to his brother, who drove with a dark expression on his face.  
Even the sky seemed to stir unusually violently.

"Are you sure?" he dared, his jaw partially resting on his palm.

The Norwegian sighed, much too exhausted to feel irritation "For the last time, yes. My eyes never lie when it comes to magic. That girl with the lighter… Irene, her coming to this world is bringing some sort of disaster upon us. Dark magic was seeping out of her in incredible quantities when I saw her in Poland a few days ago."

"Why couldn't I see it?" Iceland asked, aware of his natural skill in magic.

A smirk made its way on Norway's face "That's why you should have studied more carefully!" he teased. "Everyone specializes in different domains; I, for one, pride myself in manipulating pure magic energy which is why detecting flows of different kinds of magic is my speciality. You on the other hand are much more focused on demon summoning and controlling nature."

"Oh." Was all he could reply "So… Are we just the two of us? Or is England coming?"

"England? He can barely control that insane mass of power he has, bringing him is the same thing as committing suicide." Norway muttered "No, I have better allies."

"Your troll doesn't count." Iceland grinned.

Norway faked being hurt "Can't you trust my social abilities a bit more?" Iceland rolled his eyes "You'll see them once we get to the airport."

"Where are we going?" Iceland asked, unaware the airport was their destination.

"Mongolia." Norway shrugged.

The information took a while to reach his brain. "…Mongolia." He repeated "Some _Belgo-swiss_ girl who lives in _Hong Kong,_ was accidentally summoned by _England_ and is currently living in _Russia_ started spreading dark magic and we're going to _Mongolia _to stop her. This makes so much sense."

Norway shook his head "Don't use sarcasm with your onii-san."

"I am not calling you by that name."

Ignoring his brother, he continued "Mongolia wasn't picked at random. I managed to recognize the dark magic and its origin is most likely in Mongolia."

"Are you trying to confuse me on purpose?" Iceland growled "I thought Irene was the origin!"

The older brother sighed "Irene is something like a container," he explained "She's overflowing with magic that someone stored in her." His face scrunched in disgust "But for someone to put such an overwhelming quantity of it in a human… That's just plain cruel."

The island frowned "She looks fine."

"Physically." Norway completed "Mentally she's probably… Definitely… Different. Personally, whoever did what they did to Irene sicken me."

"This still doesn't make much sense." Iceland pointed out, determined to find out whatever he could "Irene is from another world, there's no way magic from our world could have infiltrated her body before, which means she got it after her arrival, That I can understand. But despite not having gone to Mongolia…?"

"That's not the worst." Norway groaned "The magic is old, centuries old. Irene is… what? Thirteen?"

"Fourteen."

The exhaustion Norway had managed to hide was crawling back on his face. Iceland could still remember how his brother had spent days working on what he saw before admitting needing help. How frustrating it must have been for the Scandinavian; he who hates relying on others.  
If his brother was helpless in front of the mystery that Irene was wrapped in, what use could he be?

"Nothing makes sense!" The older snapped, abandoning his expressionless mask "It's not just her age or her being from a different world. The magic is the Golden Horde's, what possible reason could he have for using a human as a magic reservoir? How did he do it?" The Norwegian's body translated the man's irritation. His every muscles were tensed and his skin unnaturally pale; he literally looked like a panda with the dark circles around his eyes. Having that sort of complexion could not be healthy in any way.

"Stop the car." Iceland ordered "You haven't slept in days, Norway. Take a rest before we meet your allies."

"I'll sleep in the plane." Norway denied, clinging to the driving wheel protectively as his brother edged closer.

"No. You and I both know you'll be discussing magic crap with your friends for the whole ride." Iceland scoffed "Now stop the car, go on the backseat, sleep and I'll drive."

"You can't drive. You can't get a license 'till you're seventeen in Iceland." Norway pointed out while showing no sign of giving up.

"But we're in Norway and the age limit is sixteen which I am." Iceland retorted "Besides, I'm technically centuries old, do you really think I can't drive?"

"Ugh… Fine." Norway grumbled.

"Sometimes I wonder who the older brother is." Iceland sighed.

As soon as his head hit the seat, Norway fell asleep.

* * *

White drops of snow slowly danced towards the ground, flickering at every breath of wind. They all seemed like tiny light bulbs as the moon lit them, painting the sky bright.

A silence of death embraced the scenery and soothed **Norway**'s heart. He watched the beautiful show the snowflakes put together, carefully keeping his eyes on them.

They were so calm.

The sky was the only thing that could brighten up after tragic events or cry on joyful occasions. Simply looking at it made Norway wondered if the wars he went through happened, it everything hadn't just been a dream. The sky certainly didn't seem any different than it was before the bloody massacres that had occurred during the past millenniums.  
Staring at the endless entity was a way for him to temporarily forget about things.  
However, never for too long.  
Consequences never remained silent and the sky couldn't erase anything nor stop time in its tracks.

Even in a dream he was once again proven right.

Despite the tremendous amount of snow the night delivered, the ground wouldn't adopt the pure colour of frozen rain. No, it was set on keeping the nauseating shade of the flowers that had bloomed on its infertile land.  
Crimson red flowers the size of a man grew by the second, spreading themselves on the abused soil. The same sickening flowers countries had seen too many times.

And as the flowers extended their petals, white was tainted red on the wide battlefield.

Only a boy managed to keep his pure colour, even as he held in his arms a woman dyed from her own blood.

Prussia. _No, the Teutonic Knights_.

The albino was the last one standing among the sleeping soldiers, supporting the weight of the dying life. It was a pity for such a beautiful woman to die, especially when her white hair and pale skin gave her the appearance of a gentle angel.  
Only in a utopian world would the innocent strive over the strong.

Prussia's voice finally broke the silence.  
"It's almost time, Kiev." He warned, a sad smile struggling to remain etching itself on his face.

"No." The woman denied "I can't die yet."  
Her voice was weak but her eyes bore into the young boy intensely. She gripped his clothes to keep herself from wavering despite the agony in her shredded arm.  
"Let's make a deal."

Prussia's expression turned surprised, almost horrified "Kiev. Don't make a deal with death… Please. It's not awesome."

"I'm sorry" She apologized, laughing at the younger nation's vocabulary "But I can't leave things as they are. I still need to accomplish one last thing."

"Don't…" the albino pleaded "You'll lose more than you'll win."

"Gilbert." She insisted "I can't allow for Russia to suffer because of me!"  
Her injuries quickly caught up with her rising voice and her sentence ended in a succession of bloody coughs.  
"Give me one week."

"Kie-"

"One week."

Prussia grit his teeth. His eyes avoided the woman's gaze as he spoke her penalty "General Winter will be hunting Russia for the whole week. If you avoid him, your son will die. If you protect your son, you will probably die. If you survive the whole week, you wish will have been granted. Are you sure? General Winter is especially powerful this year… Though you probably knew that. You're the reason for his unusual strength aren't you?"

"I guess we have a deal then." The woman smiled. She let go of him, closing her eyes as she passed out, leaving his question without answer.

"Cheating death is never a good thing." The Prussian warned before putting the weak body down, bathing her in the blood of her men. He took a last, long look at the reckless country before leaving and disappearing in the mist of snow.

"Mother!" a voice yelled as the boy left. A young Ukraine made her appearance, carrying bandages and all the medical supplies the time could offer. She kneeled besides Kiev, fiddling with the long bands of cloth and desperately trying to close the wounds.  
"Oh God… If that Teutonic Knight kid had not told me about this… I don't dare think about what would have happened. Mother? Answer me! If you don't talk to me you'll fall asleep… Maybe forever…"

Norway tore his eyes from the two Slavic nations, losing himself in his questions.  
He knew this dream wasn't just a dream, the dark magic that now polluted the air prevented such a thing. It was a memory but not his.

… Exactly who – or what was Prussia?

* * *

**Iceland** couldn't believe his friend! Why was he making waffles he needed him the most? He couldn't contact Irene either; her phone seemed to be busy.

_Idiots.  
_It would have been much easier to ask the girl if she knew anything despite what Norway said. She wasn't a bad person, knowing she put everyone's safety in danger would definitely have made her reveal what she knew.

Iceland placed his phone in the shotgun seat. A cold breeze brushed against his hand, making him notice how tightly he had been holding his phone. His hand was almost drained from its blood. Creepy.  
All this stress was really getting to his head. Why was he even involved in all this?

…

…

Oh right.

~Flashback~

"_Iceland."_

"_Yeah Norge?"_

"_Onii-sa-"_

"_No."_

"_We need to go save the world."_

_*spits water*_

"_What?"_

"_Come on, Irene might destroy the world at this rate."_

_*forcefully dragged (*cough* Kidnapped *cough*)*_

~end of flashback~

…

That didn't really answer why him.  
Oh well, just going along the flow couldn't hurt… He hoped.

Iceland threw a glance behind to see his brother struggling with a nightmare. No wonder he was reluctant to sleep with a mind clouded by troubles. Sometimes he really wished he could do something for his brother, if only the older Nordic would allow it. Just how much pride must one have?

Norway's eyes shot opened.

"Are we there yet?" he asked.

"No." Iceland deadpanned "You barely slept for ten minutes."

"About that, I had a dream and Prussia was-" Norway started before his eyes widened in horror "ICELAND! THE ROAD! LOOK IN FRONT YOU-"

The teen swiftly turned his head, only to see two bright lights coming closer.

The rest was just one big mess.

Wheels screeching, people screaming, windows shattering, alarms ringing, metal ripping, horns wailing, pain spreading, cuts multiplying, fear growing, blood splattering…  
And then darkness.

* * *

A twelve year old girl sat alone on a bench, drawing in a rather large sketchbook. Her brown hair was untamed and covered most of her face, making her look like a European Sadako. Her clothes however, refused to contribute to the image. Instead of a long white gown, she wore simple jeans and a black shirt, along with stripped red and white flip-flops.

Around her, kids of the same age ran around, playing games or chit-chatting in laughter. All of them were divided in groups and none were left apart… Except for her.  
Nevertheless, not once did the girl look up from her block of papers in envy. To her, the word _play_ground seemed to mean little. It was just one of many places.  
She let out a long sigh.  
Her earphones could only block so much noise.

**Iceland** crossed the crowded playground to sit next to her, realizing on his way that no one could see or touch him. It was only just a dream.

He threw a glance at her sketchbook and a sense of embarrassment took over him.

…

Was that girl drawing him?  
Sure it was manga-style like but the clothes, Puffin… Yep. That was definitely him.  
Irene had told him about a manga in her world that featured them.  
So he was in her world, huh.

That wasn't all. There was no point in pretending he had not noticed: that girl _was_ Irene.  
How had she called that manga again?

"Hetaly?" Iceland whispered. No. It didn't sound right.

"Hetalia." Irene corrected, her eyes not leaving her canvas. "It's okay, most people don't know about it at all." Her voice held a leftover French accent that was already fading.

_Did… Did she just hear me?_

Iceland tried to hide his surprise behind his usual emotionless face only to realize it was vain. The girl showed no sign of wanting to look up. "So… uhm…" he started, unsure what to say "Nice day isn't it?"  
And indeed the day was nice… Well as nice as a day could get in Hong Kong. Iceland was quite the observant type, he had noticed the Chinese road signs and the Cantonese conversations around… This world was an exact copy of his.

"Don't force yourself to talk to me." the girl deadpanned "Let me guess, either someone dared you to or no one took the initiative to warn you against."

The boy decided against saying no one could actually talk to him. "Why would they warn me against talking to you?"

"'Cause I'm mental." The girl shrugged.

Mental? He knew Irene wasn't normal, but mental seemed too strong of a word. It's not like he really knew much about her and her personality actually, who was he to judge her sanity? When he thought about it, no one knew anything about her and her life, not even Hong Kong…  
Maybe this could be an opportunity to figure a few things out.

"You don't look mental to me." Iceland smiled "As a matter of fact, you look much more down-to-earth than those idiots playing with dolls and legos."

Irene let out a small laugh "Don't judge a book by its cover. I _am_ mental. Well technically I have a mental disease."

That piqued his interest "Would it be prying to ask you what disease you have?" he asked.

The girl sighed "Are you from Hong Kong?" the boy shook his head "Are you going to stay in Hong Kong?" he shook his head again. "Then yes, it is prying. But since it's not like I'll ever cross paths with you ever again, I don't really mind sharing. Besides, anyone present here already knows." She flipped her sketchbook over to start a new drawing "I'm obsessed with fire."

"That's it?" Iceland couldn't help but think a simple obsession was nothing to fret over. Most countries had one. Maybe it was a human thing?

"Pyromania is an obsession that can't be ignored." Irene explained "Especially not when the 'patient', as they like to call me, nearly burnt down the whole orphanage."

Iceland stayed silent at the explanation. He wanted to ask why she had done such a thing, how she had ended up like that. He wanted to convince himself Irene was just a person whose luck turned bad… But what if she wasn't? The fear of Irene being a real psychopath overtook the nation. His best friend was almost always hanging out with the girl and – No. A human could never kill a country. Then again, was she human?  
Another fact the island could not ignore was that Irene could talk to him. He wasn't an idiot; he knew this was not a simple dream but a memory, yet the girl could still interact with him. Was that because of the black magic?

"You scared yet?" she asked with a mocking tone.

Yes. Yes he was. "No." he lied "I am curious on the other hand."

"About what?" Irene questioned "Why am I in an orphanage? How am I able to talk without stuttering despite never having conversations with anyone? How I learnt to draw? Why my fingers are wrapped in band-aids? Why am I in a Hong Kongese orphanage when my nationality clearly is different?"

An uneasy feeling grew in the nation's stomach. Irene seemed so… dark, powerful yet weak, unstable. He couldn't describe how the girl looked to him, but one thing was sure. She scared him.  
"How about why you don't look up from your sketchbook?"

"That's a simple one." She answered "It's 'cause the world is ugly. Real people lie and betray all the time, everyone is selfish. I'm not saying I'm an exception, I just enjoy lying to myself more than to others. Drawing and reading are like drugs, they create another world in the depth of my imagination, places I can escape to. You see, no matter how dystopian an imaginary universe is, it can only be better that our own. I know everything I picture is fake, but I'd rather live lost in an illusion than be brought back to this 'reality'."

The fear in Iceland stirred. Something was off, and not just the incredibly dark view of the world the twelve year old had. "Well you're rather pessimistic." He dared.

"Life's a bitch." The girl replied "It didn't really give me any opportunity to think otherwise."

Again. The cold emotion spread further in his mind.  
"You'll never get any friends if you continue like that." He warned.

"Who said I didn't have any?" she retorted "I'm quite popular over the web actually. It's easier to act behind a screen. Moreover, most people there are like me; preferring fake friends to real ones. At least fake friends can't harm you."

Why was he so scared of a human? Every single word she pronounced seemed to put additional weight on his heart.  
No. It wasn't her words.

Throughout the whole conversation, as the dark topics succeeded each other, Iceland could see it through her long bangs.  
A sickening sweet smile.

"Why?" he decided to ask "How can you smile like that?"

The girl stopped drawing for a while, before stretching her smile further "I'm just respecting my mother's wishes: "If you can't fight, smile.""

**LINEBREAK**

_SO. EFFING. LOUD._  
**Iceland** could hear his ears complaining from the noise. Or maybe that was just the sirens wailing in the distance. _Whatever._  
He slowly tried getting up from his bed, looking for his missing pillow. He stretched his hand, grabbing for the first thing he reached. A deformed car door.  
_Funny. I don't remember having a car door in my room.  
Nor a bed made of asphalt.  
Nor so many road signs.  
Are those trees?_

Oh shit.

"Lukas!" Iceland yelled, finally remembering the accident. He quickly checked his own body, happy to see the small amount of injuries he had were already healing thanks to being a nation. Satisfied with his health, he rummaged through the metallic mess, looking for the Norwegian.

He knew his brother couldn't die of a car crash.  
He knew his wounds would heal within a month, no matter how bad they were.  
He knew the pain would pale compared to what he had been through.  
But it was his fault nevertheless everything happened.

"Lukas!" He cried again, desperate to find Norway.

"E-Emil." Came a weak reply. The boy quickly got rid of all the scraps that separated him from the voice and finally found himself face to face with his brother.

"Lukas! Thank God I found you, let's get you out of he-" he started, only to be interrupted.

"Emil. Go to the airport. Meet the others. We d-don't… have…. Time." The man winced I pain between two ragged breaths "Don't worry about me. I-I can't die. Not of this."

What was that stuck to his brother's chest?

…

What was that impaling Lukas?

Why the blood?

"Emil." Norway hissed, noticing the horror in his brother's eyes "Go."

The Icelander took a last, long look of his brother before turning and running towards the end of the deserted road.  
_Ten minutes. Had I been attentive for ten small minutes we would have made it.  
Damn it_.

* * *

**See? There's actually a story behind this fanfiction! Yipee!**** I'll give imaginary cookies to those who can guess who Norway and Iceland are going to join (hint: They are two and both are countries ;))(other hint: I'm sure you'll all guess one of them and never the other).**


	23. 28 The magic of the dead

**So... This update is kinda late... Please forgive me?**

**My sole excuse is this: I absolutely wanted to add a funny scene that involved making waffles but my knowledge about cooking is worse than England's so I just couldn't wrote anything that made sense. In the end, and after struggling for a whole two months (I think), I gave up on it. So instead, the plot goes forward!**

**Also you guys still have until the next update (that will come much, much faster) to guess who are the two countries Iceland will be accompanying on his magical quest!**

**Thank you for the support and I do not own Hetalia... *goes in a sad corner***

* * *

**Belgium** slowly closed the door, trying her best to avoid making noise. It was already very late, two in the morning Brussels time, as Greece had done an excellent job at getting lost. How exactly he ended up working in a construction site was a mystery, he himself only had vague memories of being dragged around by French or Flemish speaking people. In the end, all was well; he had been retrieved, Belgium hadn't blown at Russia again, Russia hadn't traumatized little kids… *ahem* too many little kids and nothing had been destroyed except for a lamp-post which unfortunately "bumped into Russia".  
Point is, it was very late and the complete silence in the house indicated everyone had gone to sleep. That, revealed itself to be a lie.

"ICELAND WOULD NEVER DO THAT!" Hong Kong's voice bellowed from the living room "He may look like he has no heart with that expressionless face of his, but he cares about his family more than anyone, MORE THAN YOU."

The three countries didn't even glance at each other before all taking off to the living room, where the tension was suffocating.  
Netherlands was standing up, staring at the phone in what looked like disbelief. His arms were wrapped around Luxembourg, whose small figure stood in front of his brother's, alarm plaguing his eyes. Irene, the only one who had remained seated, was gazing away from the scene, looking unaware anything was happening as she tried to escape the drama. Hong Kong was holding the phone, standing in the middle and his face scrunched in anger. His breath was short, quick and irregular, but he left no time to refill his lungs.

"Yeah, that's right, just shut up." He continued, tears threatening to slide down his cheeks "You have no idea what you're insinuating! Emil is- Emil is- Emil is the closest friend I have!"

"Hong Kong, listen to me." England said through the speaker. His voice seemed exasperated and at the brink of breaking. "I don't doubt the fact Iceland is a very close friend of yours… But that is little guarantee of his pure intentions or sanity. Norway and Denmark are on the verge of death! Solidarity won't bring them back!"

"IT WAS A CAR CRASH!" Hong Kong yelled. "Denmark and Norway simply crashed into each other! Why is Emil suddenly accused of being a psychotic mass murderer on the run? THIS. DOESN'T. MAKE. SENSE!"

"DO NOT TAKE THIS TONE WITH ME YOUNG MAN!" England warned, his temper already reaching the top.

"WELL STOP ACCUSI-" Hong Kong started.

"And what seems to be the problem Arthur?" Belgium chimed in, smiling at Hong Kong to calm him down. It always seemed to work, her smile.

"Emma!" England couldn't hide his relief "A terrible thing happened. Norway and Denmark were found in a car crash."

Belgium let out a laugh of relief "That's okay, then! No need to make such a fuss about it, they'll heal in no time! They're countries!"  
She didn't believe a word she had said. Countries had died before and England would never have panicked if the accident wasn't at least life-threatening. But she couldn't say that; it was her job to be the emotional pillar, to be the optimist.

"Actually, that's the problem." England resumed "They're not healing at all. It seems magic is interfering with their wounds, dark magic… Iceland's magic… The boy has a very particular energy and it's very easy to recognize…"

"Magic? MAGIC?" Hong Kong repeated, fuming in anger "Magic does not exist!" The boy was nearly crushing the receiver with nothing but his glare and his fist strangely seemed ready to punch the brit's face. Luckily, England was nowhere near his ex-colony.

Irene cleared her throat. Hong Kong looked at her.

"Okay, maybe it exists, but are you seriously going to take it as proof?" Hong Kong continued, considerably calmed down by Irene's interruption.

"It's not just the magic!" England sighed "For one, Iceland has become unreachable" England's voice turned bitter as he mentioned the fact, obviously omitting some information "Then, many witnesses have claimed seeing Iceland go into the car wreck, find "Lukas" before impaling him with the broken car brake and then leaving – in a rush, I must add - muttering something that sounded like, and I quote 'a string of dark curses, just like in medieval times'. And all witnesses have described him perfectly! Finally, Denmark let out a few words in his coma, the most common being 'Go away Iceland!'. The countries are all called to an emergency meeting in Norway, the day after tomorrow to discuss Iceland's fate… Regions and islands must come too."

Hong Kong remained silent.

"I see…"Belgium sighed "Thank you... for informing us, Arthur… We'll be there."

"And before I hang up," England quickly added "I'm sorry Hong Kong, I really am… But that's how it is to be a nation, close friends can turn into enemies in a split second and the choice of side is not always yours."

**Click.**

The room stayed paralyzed for a while, before Russia spoke up.  
"We should visit Norway and Denmark in the hospital."

"Visit?! My best friend is about to become an international criminal and you want us to calmly go visit other countries in the hospital?" Hong Kong seethed.

"Calm down Xiang." Irene sighed.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" the island snapped "Do you even know what it's like to be in war against someone else? I refuse to fight against Emil! I don't want to see him hurt to the point of losing sanity, I don't want to be the one to bomb his country, I don't want to-"

"-And you won't have to." Irene finished, speaking slowly as if the other party was a little kid. She showed no sign of her past childish attitude or carpe diem lifestyle; instead, her eyes reflected nothing. Nor anger, nor sadness, nor joy, nor fear. "Look at Russia, does he really seem to want to randomly visit countries with which he almost broke into a fight at the last meeting?"

And she was right. The northern country had collapsed on the couch, his expression equal to Irene's. A crease had formed between his two eyebrows as he frowned in thoughts.  
"I think… I think I can prove Iceland's innocence. I may have an idea to what really happened but… It does not make any sense. And if I am right, I also know where he is." Russia said.

"Really? Where?" Luxembourg asked.

Russia smiled. "I would rather avoid assuming, so until I have proof, I am afraid you will have to wait."

Irene got up and stretched lazily. "Then if we have to wait, we should at least go wait in bed and sleep, no?"

* * *

_Norway really is beautiful_, **Irene** thought. She was looking at the man, peacefully lying down on the hospital bed in curiosity. His hair was messy, his forehead and right eye were covered in God knows how many bandages and his skin was patterned with bruises, yet he kept an untouchable beauty. There was something magical about the man, he was surrounded by some sort of mystical, lunar aura, a powerful atmosphere that Irene – despite not being a witch or a fairy – could almost see floating around. The girl felt as if the air was pushing towards the source, either that or the centre of gravity had suddenly become Norway.

A gust of wind snapped her out of it. It was cold, much too cold for the windows to be opened. Why were they? Irene looked around to find a reason for it, the source of an unpleasant smell or another patient who pinned for fresh air. But there was nothing or no one. Only the half white – half wooden walls were staring back at her, along with the simple but design furniture that accommodated the room. Not only was the hospital room too small to welcome a second patient, it was also a private one; countries deserved comfort and intimacy.

But all that helped little to solve the open windows mystery.

Irene shivered. It was so cold.  
She slowly walked towards the windows as to close them, but as she reached for the handle, she heard a voice. It was low, like a hum or a whisper, and it was as if the meanings of the words were directly sent to her head: she was unable to tell whether it was talking to her in English, in Flemish or in French. However, the words still reached her, pressuring her shoulders like the sky was falling on her.

_You're mine, Russia…_

And immediately, she wanted to wither. She wanted to collapse right where she was standing, close her eyes and die slowly, peacefully and without pain, but something held her back. It was a single thought, a single idea:

She was not allowed to choose her death, to escape her curse.

With difficulty, Irene tore her gaze from the windows, turning around abruptly… only to realize the sight inside the room was no better.  
Seconds ago, she had hoped Norway would wake up and tell everyone Iceland had nothing wrong, but now, she only wished he had stayed sleeping. He was still lying on the bed, but his head was turned towards her. Wide open and not blinking, his dark blue eyes were piercing into her mind, reading her every move. Then, slowly, Norway's mouth opened but the words his lips formed seemed spoken by the air:

_Wake up…_

"Wake up!"

Irene jolted awake at the sound of Hong Kong's voice.  
They were in the same hospital room she had been in in her dream but Norway was still sleeping and Russia and Hong Kong were there with her. The Benelux siblings and Greece had decided to visit after the meeting as they were too tired from travelling (no plane could be booked after five a.m. – or in Greece's case, because he was always sleepy) so our main characters decided to go ahead. Irene of course, had not planned on falling asleep slouched on the patient's bed while waiting for the two countries to arrive with breakfast but did so anyway.

"We brought doughnuts." Russia smiled, holding up a paper bag over the girl's head.

"It's that or the, uhm… 'waffles' we made at Belgium's house last night." Hong Kong added, dropping the family-sized lunchbox on the night stand.

The three off them stared at the 'waffles'… in horror.

"We really should have left cooking to Belgium, no?" Irene laughed, holding up a mysterious blue, perfectly spherical and unusually hard piece of dough.

Russia picked another one from the box, one that was so liquid it was stored in a tumbler. "This one looks edible, da?" he took another glance and carefully put the suspicious substance back "Never mind, it moved."

"At least there's always worst: England." Hong Kong shrugged.

"Worst than this thing?" Irene asked, thrusting a humid cookie-like 'waffle' that had a bit of knife sticking out "This is a disaster… I'm sure we just invented new weapons of mass destruction. Hitler would have been proud of us. Doughnuts for me!"

Hong Kong rolled his eyes, dumped the food (they called it that for simplicity's sake. In no way were those… _things_… edible) in the room's trash can and turned to Russia. "So, were your suspicions right?"

Russia let out a long tired breath "Partly. But I can't prove Iceland's innocence."

Hong Kong groaned and collapsed on the nearby couch. Despite behaving as usual around Irene and Russia, dark circles under his eyes indicated the teen had spent every moment worrying about his friend. It was rare for two nations to be able to share a friendship based on nothing but how they got along; most of the time, political scandals, mutual population hatred or past tensions soiled relationships. Emil and Xiang were friends, not Iceland and Hong Kong. Which is why, Hong Kong was obviously on his last straw, a hair away from exploding.  
"Why?" he asked.

"Because if I am right," Russia replied "The country whose magic is keeping Norway and Denmark from opening their eyes, is dead and has been for over five centuries. From what I see, Iceland's magic _is_ the closest one…"

"Iceland is innocent!" Hong Kong growled.

"We know he is." Irene smiled. "Listen, I don't know what happened to make you think that, but it's not you and him against the world, you know. You've been acting like you're the only one who can defend Iceland, not allowing anyone to speak up for him, look around! Iceland is one of the few to see Russia as a friend rather than a threat, Finland, Sweden and Sealand consider him as family, Turkey is also his friend… _I_ am also his friend! He's not alone and the people I just mentioned will stand by him to the end. So stop. Acting. Alone."

"Don't kid me," Hong Kong spat "They're countries! If their boss tells them tomorrow that Iceland is the enemy, the day after they'll be storing up on nuclear power and preparing troops to unleash on him! And you… you don't know him like I do! You've met what? A week ago? Less?"

"And is that really a reason for me not to care?" Irene retorted, looking angry "I probably don't know Iceland as much as you do, but how does that mean I can't want to fight for him? My reasons for caring may not be the right ones – Actually, they're completely wrong – but that doesn't mean I care about him less!"

"Are you serious?" Hong Kong asked, shooting up from his seat "What kind of reasons could bring you to care for a complete stranger? Moreover, even if you did lose him, you have other friends back in your world that can replace him, I don't! Face it; there's no way you care, not with that sheltered existence you've been living. Plus, you're human! You won't put your life on the line to protect him, you won't have the courage to stand in front of the whole world… You'll just let him die, because he's only one of the many people you know."

And then Irene did something neither Russia or Hong Kong had ever seen. She got pissed. Extremely, my-eyes-will-pulverize-you pissed. "'Cause you think it's easy to replace the dead? You think a person can act as substitute?" She sneered, her voice rising with every sentence "And I live a sheltered existence? _I_ live a sheltered existence? Well you know what, you're right. I did live a sheltered existence… Sheltered _away_ from others. Excluded from everyone - not physically, but maybe that's what hurt more. Have _you_ ever been avoided by every soul that knew you? Have _you _ever been bullied until you lost consciousness, and no one dared to help you because they thought you _deserved _it? Don't label me as someone who had everything Hong Kong!"

Irene took a pause to breath and calm down.

"You've seen war," she continued, growling "You've seen horrors, treachery, all the terrible things mankind are capable of… But apparently, that did not make you any wiser. If you really thing you can compensate for losing someone, I'm sorry to say _you're_ the one who has been leading a well-protected life. I've had those closest to me taken by death and I know nothing can ever make up for it! So tell me, is it a crime for me to be scared of that happening again? I may not have known Iceland for long but I do consider him as a friend, I consider _all_ of you guys as my friends and to me, friends are rare and just as precious!"

Irene shook her head, wiping her eyes before tears escaped. She turned towards the door and before leaving added "I thought I'd finally find someone who understood how important it is to have allies and friends, to be surrounded with support… Obviously, I was wrong. You're too obsessed with that one best friend to notice the others."  
She slammed the door.

What she had said was harsh, even she knew that. However, she didn't regret a single word. All this time, she had thought she was Hong Kong's friend, someone he cared at least a bit about… But In the end, even he was going to be taken away from her. He was going to distance himself from Irene and forget her, because she didn't matter as much as Iceland. And she couldn't even hate Iceland for it! He may have only reminded her of someone she used to know at first, but after actually meeting him and texting him and talking to him, he had become her friend too…

Her heart tightened. What if the two shared the same fate? Losing _him_ once had already been a torture, but losing _him_ twice? No. Iceland was not _him_ and he would not die.

* * *

**Hong Kong** did not know what to say. He was… okay. And that was weird since he just got out of a fight.

He felt somewhat empty inside, but not the I-have-no-emotions-or-depth kind of empty. It was more like all his angst had evaporated into thin air, leaving only a bunch of thoughts he had completely forgotten about. Two nights before, he had different goals, different worries and a wider range of sight. How had he managed to wipe it all off his mind and only focus on Iceland? Life wasn't a narrow corridor!  
And while Iceland was being chased, Irene was hurting too.

He remembered the injury on her arm, one that he later learnt via Iceland to be from a ski accident. He remembered the early morning call she had once made. He remembered how excited she was at the sight of guns. He remembered that she could pick locks. He remembered how Irene got attached to Russia, aware of his mental instability and his overwhelming strength. How had he not noticed that she had a lot on her mind as well?

Hong Kong turned to Russia, seeking advice. But who was he kidding? Russia was as clueless as him when it came to Irene… Though Russia was clueless about how to interact with pretty much anyone. The large nation was looking up at him like a three year old kid who couldn't understand why mommy and daddy weren't living together, his hand awkwardly floating in front of his chest, not sure where to go. In the end, Russia really was still a child and Hong Kong could only feel bad for arguing with Irene in front of him. That was just how much he always focused on one single thing; he was so absorbed by his anger that he hadn't notice Russia seating down and uncomfortable with what was happening.

Apart from his guilt, Hong Kong was okay, though he knew Irene wasn't.


	24. 29 A Painted Sky

**I didn't take that much time to update this time, right? :D**

**Thanks to all the reviewers for reviewing and to Himaruya Hidekazu for creating Hetalia (which I obviously DO NOT own)**

* * *

**Iceland** struggled to open his eyes. He was still too scared, too scared of what had happened, too scared it had been real. The boy couldn't remember everything quite well yet, but something told him he didn't want to. The half asleep half comatose state he was in, though being very empty and dull, could only be better than what awaited him in the real world… or so his heart seemed to say. His brain was too exhausted to spare a single thought and everything only seemed to be dictated by his raw feelings, that is to say fear, sadness and stress.  
All he wanted was to give up.

However, a stroke of heat warmed him up. He was surrounded by warmth, a comfortable bed that nursed his mind back to stability. Gradually, his thoughts and memories became clearer, until he remembered he could not stay down.  
He had things to do and – despite feeling extremely stupid and American while thinking so – a world to save.

So Iceland woke up… To Romania's face.

The shock was so brutal Iceland froze for a moment, his mind refusing to process whatsoever information. It wasn't just the unexpected familiar face that surprised him, it was everything: the fact he was already in the plane, that his body still hurt, that he seemed unable to move… Why couldn't he move?

Two big arms were holding Iceland still, forcing his back against his captor's chest. A big lump was pressing against the Nordic's head, forcing it to look forward, in the grinning vampire-like nation that sat at his left. Was he… being kidnapped? The idea seemed ridiculous. For one, Romania looked as if he did nothing wrong (though that wasn't always a good sign, the man was a vampire wannabe for God's sake!), then there was the fact that his captor's breathing pace indicated he had just fallen asleep on Iceland and finally, he was on the plane he was supposed to be in. There weren't two planes going from Oslo to Ulaanbaatar the same week.

"When did I fall asleep?" Iceland whispered, avoiding moving too much as to maintain his neighbour's sleep.

Romania smirked "Just when you arrived in the airport… It was pretty funny since you collapsed in the middle of the crowd. You should have seen their face when a teenager fell face down in tattered clothes and covered in dirt! Some even thought you came from a homeless shelter. I thought I'd lend you my coat since we're trying NOT to attract any attention"

Iceland tried to shake off his embarrassment by asking further questions "Why are we doing this in secret? Can't we just tell everyone?"

"How young and innocent you are, Iceland." Romania teased "What has happened to Irene is something only a monster is capable of doing. There is absolutely no way the 'criminal' will allow us to visit his country, which means we're infiltrating a country. As you probably know, a country infiltrating another can be seen as a declaration of war to many, because it means we're not respecting the other's power over his territory. No country is mad enough to help with this operation, the risk is too high."

"The risk is too high?" Iceland hissed "Irene might blow up the world with all that black magic of hers! I think the risk is worth it!"

Romania sighed "A fourteen year old girl who's from a world where magic absolutely does not exist was stuffed with dark magic centuries ago, when she, or anyone in her family that lived long enough to know her, was not born yet. Oh yeah, and that magic threatens our lives. Plus, England just happens to summon her from any of the seven billion humans in her world."

"Fine." Iceland grumbled "I get it, no one would believe us."

The nation on his shoulder stirred, groaning in his sleep about something to do with pillows and bed sheets. Iceland, whose ear was next to the other's mouth, recognized the voice.

"… Why is he here?" he asked.

"We needed more stupid and reckless people."Romania shrugged.

"… He can't use magic." Iceland continued.

"Now that," Romania answered "is wrong. He just doesn't display as much as we do. When you think about it, with all his superstitions, religions and the upbringing he suffered from, it would be pretty surprising if he couldn't."

"But Norway would never hang around a person like him! He's exactly why Denmark's neck is red from strangling!" Iceland exclaimed.

"Speaking about Norway, what happened? Why were you alone and a wreck at the airport?" Romania asked, redirecting the conversation where Iceland didn't want it to go.

He had tried to push it back to the depth of his mind, where he wouldn't have to retrieve it from until he was ready to face the facts, but such an incident wasn't something that could be ignored. Not by others or him. Especially not when his whole body still hurt from it.  
Every detail was fresh in his memory, and the guilt was just as intense.

"We- We got in a car crash…" Iceland dared, avoiding the older nation's gaze "Norway was completely impaled…"

No. It was too hard, both nausea and tears were threatening him.

Romania's eyes widened, first in shock, then in fear and finally in worry.  
So, he did the natural thing. He stripped Iceland.

"Eh? S-Stop that! What are you doing?" Iceland fought.

"Did you get hurt?" Romania asked in a rush, ignoring the disapproving glares of the other passengers.

"Of course, but since I'm a-" Iceland started, catching himself when he noticed a few humans' attention on them "uhm… Very healthy, I'll heal! Lukas's injuries are much worse." The Nordic gripped his shirt tightly to make sure Romania would not renew his attempts at a possible rape.

But all Romania did was frown more "Don't you get it? This dark magic in the air makes it impossible for us to heal like we usually do! It probably just makes things worse… Not to mention General Winter is roaming around more powerful than usual. That guy is killing everything that crosses his path, and he's particularly powerful recently, especially in your countries. It would have been easy for him to seep some black magic into your body!"

While Iceland nodded in understanding at Romania's words, Iceland's brain decided to look for what else they implied.

"If I can't heal… Then what about Norway?"

And suddenly, he was a child again. Afraid of what the grownups will say about his blunders, afraid his parents would scold him, afraid his big brother wouldn't be there anymore.  
The island felt his past loneliness come back. He looked expectantly at Romania but didn't dare hope, and sure enough, he was right not to. The older nation just looked at him, at loss of words. Romania had never been good at handling kids, and as he fell face to one, he didn't know whether white lies or the truth were the best treat. Emil couldn't blame him either; both were so poisonous after all.

"Don't insult Norway." The other nation growled, getting up from his slumber.

He was just like always, his golden hair slightly messy, especially for a stray cowlick, his blue eyes full of life and energy, his glasses slightly tilted from his nap and his clothes as casual as clothes could get: Spiderman jumper and grey joggings.

"He's not weak enough to die from something like that!" America continued, flashing his thunderbolt smile "I mean, come on dude! Did you see his troll? Never did either but I did see what it was capable of! I don't think that conference wall was ever repaired! Plus do you really think he'd die without getting you to say 'onii-san'? Think twice before saying absurd crap like that Ice! And I thought you were smart." America ruffled the younger nation's head "Now get your act together before you get us killed soldier! This is a man's world so don't cower out."

Iceland didn't feel like America was so useless anymore. He was tactless and annoying, but maybe that was exactly what he needed. And anyway, the idiot was right; Norway would kill him if he knew how underestimated he had been. There was so much left to do before kissing the world good bye; taming Iceland, killing Denmark, getting Hanatamago to like him instead of biting him, finally getting England to cook something decent – or at least edible…

Romania sighed in relief "Get ready, we're landing."

* * *

After having slept for ten hours straight in the first inn they could find, the group of three decided to hasten their search as to catch up on the wasted time.

Though their watches indicated four in the morning Norway time, the sun that approached its peak was saying otherwise: it was eleven o'clock in Ulaanbaatar and as cold as ice cubes. They gathered strength to wander around the city nonetheless, praying for good fortune… or at least a clue as to where to start searching. Like most capitals, this one was bustling with life and that made the task so much harder. Moreover, the handicap of speaking a different language was hard to ignore after they had spent two hours trying to order breakfast. Coming unprepared did not seem like such a good idea anymore.

After hours of walking around, they decided to stop on a random bench in a small area where nature fought for its survival amongst the many battered buildings and new towers. America finally took the great initiative of checking his phone, finding a bunch of new text messages and missed calls, most of which belonged to 'mom'.

"Duuuuudes!" he called, grabbing the two others' attention "England's tried to contact me!"

"What does he want?" Romania asked, suddenly taking interest in something else than his drink (they still had no idea what it was, getting something was enough of a miracle already).

"It's about Iceland." America continued, glancing at the younger nation who awaited the rest eagerly "It looks like they think you tried to kill your brother and Denmark. A meeting has been called tomorrow at ten, Norway time, to decide your sentence… Everyone needs to be there."

"Wha- But – But I _didn't_ try to, to… to kill Norway!" Iceland stuttered looking horrified "Why would anyone think that I-?" Iceland bit his lips. Even saying it was getting hard.

"Check your phone." Romania suddenly ordered, before Iceland could panic any more. "Seeing as you're concerned, it's best to see if you haven't got anyone who tried to contact you."

The weight that had been dropped on Iceland's shoulder had gotten him desperate for an exit, desperate for indication. He complied without as much as listening to the vampire-like nation's reasons. Sure enough, Finland, Hong Kong, England and Irene had tried to reach him.  
He opened every text and read them aloud, making sure America and Romania could understand what to make out of them. He himself doubted he could read without just staring at the words on the screen.

"_Ice! Where are you? We're worried about you! Kiddie England came to our house to ask about your whereabouts, he's determined to arrest you and get the truth. Be careful!_

_We believe in you,_

_Fin, Sve and Sea-kun_"

"_I don't know when your magic got so strong but for God's sake you better know what you have done! Cursing Norway and Denmark like this is the same as killing them; I hope your conscience will stay fully aware of this._

_Cultivate guilt you murderer,_

_England._"

"_Dammit Iceland, what kind of mess have you gotten in this time?  
YOU IDIOT!  
I only saw your missed call today, please call me back._

_HK, your FRIEND (AKA don't you dare keep things from me!)_."

As he read all these messages, Iceland's heart tightened. How did he get involved in so much? One second he's just the small island next to Norway and Hong Kong's friend, the next he's a mastermind criminal on the run. All the countries seemed to be running around in a frantic search for him while he was just sitting and drinking some surprisingly good drink.  
Yet out of all the messages, only Irene's brought him something he wasn't expecting: hope and relief.

It was longer than the others and by the time he had started it, his voice had stopped reading aloud.

"_Hey Iceland!_

_I must admit I was kind of surprised to hear about the accident. Yes, I'm aware that's probably the last thing you wanna talk about, especially since you've been framed for it (Those idiots think you could outsmart your brother magic-wise *facepalm*) but that's pretty much why I need to talk to you about it.  
I'm guessing that you're blaming yourself. Not sure what really happened, for all I know you weren't even there when it happened, but what I am sure of is that no matter who died or how, as long as they're close to you, you'll blame yourself. Well don't. Unless you're M, in which case I shall respect your choices.  
Also, I'd like to add that you're not alone. There's like me, your family, Russia (yes, he believes in your innocence just as much as you chose to believe in his sanity) and most importantly, Hong Kong! That stupid island hasn't been able to sleep since you've gone MIA… I bet he's gay for you. *hem hem* Probable romantic feelings aside, we'll do anything to clear your name, so just relax and go hit on chicks wherever you are, we'll keep you updated!_

_Norway'll kill you if you don't come back with your usual inexpressive face~  
(No but seriously, Europe's in enough deficit without having to finance your funeral)_

_Irene :3_"

Iceland smiled a bit. Then, he abruptly stood up and threw his bag on his back in a sudden urge to continue his quest. Irene's reckless words had somehow helped him come up with a reckless idea : "We have to go infiltrate Mongolia's house."

"Are you crazy?" Romania asked, coughing after a badly time seep of his drink "Coming here was already bad enough but going to his house? That's insane!"

"Hey! I like how you think Icey!" America grinned, also jumping to his feet.

Romania just looked at them as if they had grown an extra arm.

"Come on Romania!" Iceland insisted "If there really is a meeting tomorrow, do you really think he'd still be here? A flight to Norway would take more than twelve hours from here! He's at the airport or in the plane already. And anyway, the magic is the Golden Horde's, no? Where else do you want to find information on the guy? At a bus stop?"

"No!" Romania exclaimed "At a library or at a museum!"

"…Where we'll totally find books in English." Iceland sarcastically finished "We're not looking about something that was written down in History, we're looking about information on the Golden Horde, the _man_, not the country."

"There's a difference?" America asked before Romania could reply.

"And a pretty big one at that." Iceland finished.

"You're already a wanted criminal Iceland!" Romania continued "If we're caught, there will be no escaping the death penalty for you!"

"It's like you said," Iceland answered "I'm already screwed. Might as well bring down someone with me. Also, call me Emil will you? I'm not doing this for my country."

America let out a long hearty laugh before grabbing Emil's hand "Alfred, nice to meet you, badass-Emil."

Romania sighed and buried his face in his hands before standing up too and raising both hands in the air to surrender. "Vladimir and fuck you."

* * *

To no one's surprise, Mongolia's house wasn't top of security, the only device to keep intruders out being a misspelled 'Welcome' mat that might have made England's eyes bleed at best. Picking the lock hadn't been a great challenged either, though Emil and Alfred decided not to ask Vladimir what he usually used that skill for, as for the real obstacle; it was nothing less than Mongolia's laziness.

There was stuff everywhere, enough to drive Germany to the brink of suicide. The furniture, the windows, the fridge, the TV, everything was covered in random pieces of clothes and food that might as well have been cooked during Ancient Rome's pinnacle. It was more than a miracle to even see a square meter of floor. Moreover, the lack of light that passed through the curtains and the unbearable smell of soiled socks and worn sweaters made the house impossible to breathe in. However, they had to survive the suffocation if they were to find anything.

And so they rummaged and rummaged, occasionally finding a picture of an old Golden Horde teaching a young Mongolia to hunt or suspicious traditional item that none dared to question. Emil was less and less confident with his idea by the second, especially when he found a bunch of handwritten diaries… written in old Mongolian.  
There really was no hope.

Before the teenager could collapse on the couch they had managed to dig out, Vladimir gave in to the temptation of rest. The Romanian slumped on the comfortable sofa and looked upwards in exhaustion…

"WOAH!" he exclaimed "Check the ceiling!"

And so they did.

The ceiling wasn't really a ceiling anymore, it was one huge painting that soared over the inhabitants of this house like a constant reminder. The strokes were raw and brutal, filled with anger as the artist had slashed the ceiling with paint. However, despite the imprecise pictures, it wasn't hard to figure out what exactly it was depicting: a battlefield.

The three men remained paralyzed at the sight they were offered. The size of the painting, the intensity of the colours, the way every character looked straight in the eyes of the bystander… It was a new sky they were looking at, souls of the dead that haunted the painting, strong emotions that had been plastered on the ceiling.  
They weren't just admiring some product of an artistic mind anymore, they were on the battlefield, seeing, hearing and smelling what the soldiers could.

The Golden Horde was the first they managed to locate. He was standing tall in the middle, a smile etched on his face and his warm clothes shining golden. All the nearby soldiers were bowing at him as if they were trying to lick his shoes. His sword was raised in the air in a final sign of victory but his left arm remained low, tightly holding on to a key.

Surrounding him were heaps of corps wearing different uniforms, all of which were faceless. Actually, it was near impossible to tell a corps apart from another as they all merged into a nauseating sea of red waters and skin-coloured waves.

Nonetheless, another area stood out, one that was painted in a discreet corner of the ceiling where few would let their eyes wander to.  
A woman was kneeling, dressed in a pure white gown and wrapped in her pure white clothes. She was stained with blood from head to toe but kept a sad smile on her face while clutching her bump of a stomach. In her hands was a broken lock.  
Behind her stood a boy and a man, chained together by another lock. The older of the two somehow looked like a ghost as his cloak seemed to be made of black mist that encircled the younger.

"This is…" Vladimir wanted to say, but failed to find the right words.

"Who are they?" Emil wondered.

"The old man is General Winter, so I guess it's safe to assume that kid is Russia." Alfred said.

"You sure?" Vladimir asked sceptically.

"I've fought with Russia enough to recognize that pet of his." Alfred sighed, biting back unsaid insults "He was definitely fiercer than Russia… Actually, now that I think about it, I rarely got to fight Russia in person with General Winter around."

"And it would make sense since the Golden Horde wasn't exactly buddy-buddy with his mom, Kievan Rus." Emil added "As a matter of fact, that woman probably is Kievan Rus! Her soldier's clothes match with her culture. But why – Prussia!"

"No, it's Russia." Vladimir corrected.

"That's not what I meant!" Emil sighed "Before the crash, Norway was about to tell me something about Prussia! Look over there!"

And as Emil pointed into another direction, the two others noticed a last kievan soldier that stood far from any main focus of the painting. His eyes were red and his hair was white; he held his sword in front of his chest, allowing it to shape a cross: The teutonic order's cross.

"I guess we have our next destination then!" Alfred smiled "And if we leave now, we I can get to the meeting, a bit late, but we can be there. Prussia'll probably be there too."


	25. 30 Truth In Masks

**Here's a chapter :)**

**I didn't realize how confusing my timeline was until I got lost myself (Screw time zones). So here's a summary of what has recently happened (First time (and date of the week) is Oslo-Brussels time, second one – if there is one – is Mongolia time).**

**Saturday:****  
7 pm : crash  
****Sunday:****  
2am / 9am : England calls Belgium to give the news  
1pm / 8pm :Iceland & Co arrive in Mongolia  
****Monday:****  
4am / 11am : Iceland & Co start their search  
11am / 6pm : They take the plane back  
****Tuesday:****  
1am : Arrive at Oslo (Iceland & Co)  
7am : Arrive at Oslo (Irene & Co)  
9am : Hospital visit  
(1pm : Meeting)**

**So as you can see, the last chapter actually happened in the middle of the one before, sorry for the mess in time line!  
**

**To readers, reviewers and awesome people: I love you all.  
Hetalia does not belong to me.**

* * *

**Hong Kong** and Russia searched the hospital through and through for Irene. It wasn't really a question of finding her quickly, they had enough time to start and finish a Monopoly, but both were eager to apologize to her… Or at least Hong Kong was. Russia probably just wanted Irene back at his side; she was after all the one to pull him out of his suffocating loneliness.

Problem was: the hospital was huge.

At first Hong Kong was strangely calm about it. He was still feeling relieved. However, as minutes passed, he realized how stupid he was to let her wander in a gigantic hospital in a country she didn't know. Irene was as good as stranded on a deserted island to him.

After half an hour of getting lost, getting lost and getting lost, they both realized that asking around was better than randomly engaging into long corridors and checking every doors.  
Their first target was the reception lady.

"Uhm, hello?" Hong Kong asked to the glass-walled booth.

"Can I help you sir?" The woman asked with a perfectly rehearsed smile.

"I'm looking for a girl with straight hazelnut brown hair that reaches just under her shoulder blades. She's wearing a black jacket, dark brown boots and jeans." Hong Kong answered.

"Is she crying?" the booth woman asked, an amused smile on her face.

Hong Kong looked at his feet ashamed. Russia replied for him: "Yes, that is probably her."

"I saw her twenty minutes ago, she was approached by a tall blond man with glasses… Your height approximately." She glanced at Russia "and a frail old man. I guess he was her grandfather since that's what she called him. They all left together to visit the patient in room… uhm… I don't really remember the room number…"

"It's okay," Hong Kong smiled "We should be able to find her."

He calmly walked away from the reception, but his mind was in turmoil. Tall, blond, glasses… Sweden? Who was the old grandpa then?  
Hong Kong didn't even have any guarantee the first was a country. Irene was the type to go along with anything. Chances were, she felt like taking a ride to town and followed two complete strangers whose only intentions were to rape her.  
On the other hand, Irene was a smart person. She probably knew the danger she could be in and – _No!_ She couldn't possibly - ? But it was Irene, she was as unpredictable as the future and as daring as the devil. If he didn't find her…

Hong Kong and Russia ran up to Norway's room again and just as Hong Kong was about to open the door, Russia stopped him.  
"She's not in there." He said.

"Where is she then?" Hong Kong asked, ignoring Russia's sigh.

"In Denmark's room." Russia replied "He was also involved in the crash remember? Irene is obviously frustrated with us, I doubt she would risk going back."

Oh right. Denmark. He kept forgetting he was another 'victim' of Iceland's. Being forgotten apart, Denmark was an important piece of the puzzle! He had been in the car that crashed into Norway's, for all Hong Kong knew, he was the real criminal.  
No. Hong Kong trusted all the Nordic countries. How many times had he visited them? How many times had they welcomed him like family? In times like this, and as Irene had said, it was important not to doubt those who earned trust.

The two headed to the end of the corridor, to room 405.

"_Mathias Kohler"_

The name was scribbled sloppily on a paper and stuck to the door. Well at least they couldn't get that wrong.

"Wait." Russia halted before Hong Kong could reach the handle.

"What is it this time?" the teen hissed.

Russia's smile turned into a frown. "You're panicking."

"Wha – Pffff! No I'm not!" Hong Kong refuted.

"Why?" Russia demanded, staring right into Hong Kong's eyes.

_Russia's eyes are so deep_, Hong Kong thought. He had never really looked in them before. They had a beautiful but childish hue of innocent purple_. How ironic, no countries are innocent._ The man was known for being strong and manipulative but his eyes were mysterious, beautiful and seemingly calm. And yet, beyond the irony of it, they were sharp as knives. They seemed to say everything and nothing, to show wisdom, but only wisdom the owner wanted to share.  
Just like a mask.  
Just like Irene.  
When had the girl ever stopped talking? Hong Kong couldn't remember a time where her mouth wasn't running like broken tap and yet he hardly remembered a time when she said things that mattered. She was quick witted, she was cheerful, but was she ever herself?

"Why?" Russia insisted "Why are you in such hurry to find her? We have hours before the meeting starts."

Because she was dangerous. Because he didn't know what she was capable of. Because he didn't know her. He wasn't so much scared for her safety as he was scared for… for what? Other humans? He'd been in wars, he'd seen them die, he even saw his own die from storms of diseases and raging fights. Other countries? Irene was with him when the accident had occurred she couldn't have killed Norway and Denmark.  
He was scared but he didn't know of what.  
He actually didn't know anything.

Nor how she thought, nor when she would leave.

"Hong Kong?" Russia asked, an intrigued look on his face.

"Ah, sorry." Hong Kong apologized "I was daydreaming."

Russia sighed and gave up. He opened the door. To find to crossed fingers shoved in his face.

"VADE RETRO SATA – Ouch!" America started before being elbowed by Romania. "Dude! He's gonna steal our souls if we don't do anything!"

America, Romania, Sweden, an old man (who for some reason was texting with Iceland's phone), Finland and Irene were gathered around Denmark's bed, using his poor unconscious body as a table.  
Irene seemed to have recovered as she played cards with her 'grandfather' but she still avoided Hong Kong's gaze.

"When did you guys all get here?" Hong Kong asked.

"We got here two minutes ago." Romania answered "Finland got lost so he arrived right before us but Sweden and Iceland got here twenty minutes ago after coming across Irene."

"Why is Iceland a-" Hong Kong started.

"Shut up." Iceland cut in, glaring at his friend. "Romania had this or a Sakura cosplay."

All turned towards Romania.

…

"Curious, aren't we?" he smirked.

…

They all turned away.

"Right… Anywho," Hong Kong muttered "Irene uhm… Can I, like, talk to you or something?"  
He dared throw a glance at her, cursing himself for being unable to swallow back his words. What exactly was he going to say to her?_ Think, think fast_.

"No." Sweden deadpanned, his expression unwavering. He scooted in front of Irene, as if to create a wall between her and her friend.

"Wha -? Since when are you called Irene?" Hong Kong asked. His heartbeat was starting to run a bit too fast from panicking but he tried to keep a front.

Irene smiled with a bit of pity mixed in her eyes "Thanks Sweden but I think it won't hurt to talk." She stood up and followed Hong Kong to the corridor.

* * *

"So." Hong Kong took a deep breath "I am sorry for being a cold hearted bastard."

"I am sorry too" Irene apologized, much to his surprise "I shouldn't have taken out all that anger on you… I'd probably also have a one-track mind if my best friend was framed for murder."

"Wait, wait, wait. I'm not finished yet." Hong Kong continued "I should have realized it sooner but I really, really do consider you as a friend and I can't ever apologize enough for making you think otherwise. I'm just used to it being me and Iceland… as in me and _him_, not his country nor mine. But the thing is, you're the same. You don't hang out with countries, you hang out with _us_ and personally it actually helps a lot. We've been around a lot of humans but we've never actually tried to get to know them… I can't believe what we missed. Also, if you hadn't given me that verbal slap on the face earlier, I don't know in what state of mind I'd be in and what kind of stupid reckless mistake I'd have committed… So sorry, and _thank you_."

Irene stared at him blankly. "I was not expecting that." She blurted out.

"That was kind of anti-climatic." Hong Kong smiled.

The girl smiled back. He was glad things seemed normal again.

Irene laughed. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad for what you said and everything!" she immediately added "It's just that it makes me feel really guilty. I mean, you've just told me so much and I'm… I'm just… I can't pay you back." Irene bit her lips in frustration "Please don't tell Ivan, but I think I might have to leave soon."

Hong Kong stared at her blankly. "I was not expecting that." He blurted out.

But this time, none of them commented on the lack of tact.

And things in Hong Kong's mind were starting to make sense.

He was scared of never seeing her again. It had always been an inevitable truth – that she would not stay – but it never seemed real until… until it was about to happen. Irene was human but she had somehow, through text messages and mystery, become more than the initial entertainment she had been to Hong Kong. He couldn't lose her; _there is no replacing a person_.

"How?" he managed to ask, shock preventing words from flowing out.

Irene's eyes, much like Russia's, suddenly seemed owner of wisdom that wasn't to be shared. And immediately, her silent plea was understood. 'Please don't ask.'. It was like an unspoken rule around Irene that there was no asking about herself and Hong Kong had grown to respect it. However, it was becoming hard to.

Iceland came out, still dressed as an old man. He stared at his two friends.

It was a very awkward scene on which he stumbled on; the positions of the two were completely reversed. Irene was fascinated by her boots and Hong Kong stared at her in horror.

"Irene, I forgot to tell you something." He said, ignoring the dumbfounded Hong Kong. "If what you told us earlier is true, the best clue we have is that Prussia has something to do with it."

"And he'll be at the meeting." Irene finished. Her voice was obviously trying to keep its pride, but a slight tremble gave away her guilt.

"Ice!" Hong Kong called, catching the nordic's attention "Did she tell you that she needed to-"

"To go?" Iceland continued "Yeah."  
The silver haired teen looked straight in Hong Kong's eyes.  
"It's her decision to make." He explained "We can't force her to stay here… even we think it's better for her."

Irene and Iceland exchanged glances and smiled a sad smile in understanding.

"But… Didn't you imply your life suck in your world?" Hong Kong pleaded "Why would you go back there?"

"I don't want to go back, I _need_ to go back." Irene answered "I don't belong here."

"And when has that ever stopped you?" Hong Kong replied.

"Never. Never _until_ it hit me in the face!" Irene cried "This is not home for me Hong Kong! I'm not supposed to be here!"

"And?" he retaliated "Iceland and I weren't supposed to be friends, our countries have nothing to do with each other, and does that make the world a worst place?"

"About that-" Iceland started.

"You don't understand!" Irene sneered, ignoring Iceland like if he was just another particle of oxygen floating around "There is no good from having me stay here! – And before you say that 'spending time with friends' is enough of a reason, let me tell you something: I don't want to be your friend… Nor do you want to be mine." Irene's mouth crooked itself in a smile that lacked sanity and sincerity, much like Russia's usual 'Become one with me, da?' "That Irene you became friends with, it's not me. I pretended to laugh, I pretended to smile, I said things I didn't believe in… All of it was a big scam Hong Kong! You don't know me and let's keep it that way!"

"What happened then," he asked "to make you stop your acting?"

"I was reading a book, lazily, in my room," Irene started, her voice dripping with a dark, sarcastic tone "and suddenly, _poof_, I'm in a manga character's basement. That's not weird at all. Then, I just happen to encounter the one character I wanted to and befriend the country I reside in. No one questions me as long as I say it's England's fault, everyone just accepts me and not a single soul shows hatred! You want an answer? Well here's one; I didn't believe in this whole mess!"  
"I'm not a social butterfly." She continued "I can't speak to people with ease; I can't make friends this easily! The only exception is when I'm speaking to others behind a screen, when all those I talk to are just virtual personalities… Yes, that's what I saw you as, fakes. But you're not, you're real and you deserve a real friend, not a coward who hides behind a mask."

"Your story is pretty similar to mine actually," Hong Kong sighed "When I first saw you, I acted as though I wanted to be your friend… But really, I just needed entertainment. You were a bunch of mysteries glued together under the name of Irene and my boredom saw you as a puzzle, a game. Sure, Iceland is fun to tease -"

"Hey! I'm still there!"

"- but I thought solving who you were was better. I never had the intention of befriending you."

"There we go!" Irene concluded "None of us wanted to be the other's friend, we both lied to each other thus never talking to our real personalities and that's that."

"Yeah… No." Hong Kong deadpanned "I may have worn a mask too, but it did become my reality. You _are_ my friend Irene."

"This feel like some Korean drama." Iceland noted.

"Can it Ice." Hong Kong ordered "Things change. I don't know when they did, maybe during that early morning call a few days after meeting you or through making waffles just before leaving to Norway… What matters is that they did! I knew from the beginning that you weren't who you were pretending to be. True, you're better than Russia at this but not perfect, and yet I started caring about you despite your secrecy!"

"How is that even possible?" Irene asked "You can't care for someone you don't know!"

"God how can you be so… ugh… So infuriating!" Hong Kong groaned "Do you really believe I know nothing of you? I talked to you enough to know you're strong but in pain and far too stubborn to ask for help, I know you fear love and attention and will always try to focus on other's problems to avoid your own, I also know that you're similar to Russia in more aspects than one: loneliness, discomfort and a childish obsession with destruction… Do I need to list more?"

Irene stayed speechless as she gawked at Hong Kong who fumed with anger.

"Don't lie to me Irene." He finished "I'm pretty sure your mask also became you."

The girl clenched her fist and teeth and immediately, Hong Kong knew he had opened Pandora's box.

"So now you think you can guess how I feel?" she asked with a smile that mocked Hong Kong's pride "I must congratulate you for making out so much… unfortunately those deductions are being overshadowed by how dumb you are." The girl bit her lips and shook her head.  
"If what really matters is the now and not the then, obviously we're not on very good terms, are we?"

The coldness in her voice froze Hong Kong. It was true, they were fighting. Did that make them enemies?

"Irene." Iceland warned. He had completely disappeared from both of their minds. The Nordic looked at Irene in pity before shooting an angry look at his friend. "It's fine, don't worry… I'll – We'll get you home."

"Thanks." Irene smiled.

Hong Kong failed to understand. Why were the two so accomplice-y with each other? Why was Irene, who had just officially ended their friendship, the one being comforted? Moreover, why did Iceland want Irene to leave?

Iceland sighed. The tension surrounding the two was obvious, but he chose to ignore it.  
"Anywho, in case both of you might have forgotten, I'm soon going to know how many countries will be declaring war on my person and which way they found more convenient for me to die so…"

* * *

The conference room wasn't a single circular table this time around. It was a massive amphitheatre in which all countries, all regions, all islands could fit. The seats were arranged in rows of semi circles, all wider that the one right under. In the centre and in front of a huge advertisement panel sized screen, was a stand that could hold about twenty public speakers and that seemed as big as an ant from the highest seats.

Everything was of basic colours, the chairs were black, the long curved tabled were wood brown, the walls were dirty white, the banners that hung from the ceiling bore Norway's flag…  
Big and plain.

All the personifications filed in, accompanied by Iceland, Norway and Denmark's presidents. Even a brown haired human took her seat next to the Russian Federation. Before the beginning of the conference, the hall was full and ready to start.  
England stepped on the platform and stood behind the stand. The shuffling of his papers was all that broke the tense silence.

"Representing England, member of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland." He stated, preparing himself for the opening speech.  
"We are all gathered here to present our decision concerning Norway and Denmark's conditions. As main investigator, I will be in charge of this meeting. Here as the facts as known: At six past midnight, Greenwich time, the two countries were involved into a car crash from which none of them seem to be able to recover. Witnesses claim having seen Iceland stab his brother before running away and since then, he has been missing."

More paper shuffling.

"We shall shortly decide on Iceland's fate... or in this case, probably death."


	26. 31 A Curse Between Worlds

**Hello people of the Hetalia fandom! I have been trying to write as much as I could but for once I actually had no time.**  
**So here's a chapter... Where things start to actually make sense :D**

**Hetalia does not belong to me**

* * *

"_We shall shortly decide on Iceland's fate... or in this case, probably death."_

A funeral silence fell upon the room as every country took in the importance of the meeting. It was one thing to talk about financial or ecological problems but it was a whole other thing to discuss a country's life.

"I must however reveal that…" England gritted his teeth and threw a piercing glare at his brother, Scotland, who motioned for him to go on from the first row "That I believe Iceland is innocent."

The reaction was instantaneous. Indignant roars of opposing nations burst out from every row, many even stood up in belief they would be heard over the others. The whole room shook from the storm of complaints and the air that seemed so still, so paralyzed just moments ago, became white as sheets of papers were thrown around by rage-filled countries.

"He killed two of us! _KILLED_! How dare you defend him!" one yelled.

"Human witnesses have said so! Will you just ignore that? I say we replace England!" another one shouted.

"Hear him out dammit! We're countries, not a bunch of three years old fighting over the sandpit!" A third voice reasoned.

All were spoken but none heard. Less than a minute in the meeting and things were already turning chaotic.

"SILENCE!" England yelled, bashing his fist on the stand. Everyone calmed down, aware they would get no further with shouts and screams.  
"I had first blamed Iceland because the trace of magic on his brother and Denmark's bodies but it seems I was wrong. It is not his."

Macau stood up, earning his right to speak.  
"With all due respect, you cannot possibly ask of us to believe in this nonsense. Magic does not exist and it cannot – it _will _not be used as proof in this tribunal." A few nations muttered in agreement.

England kept his cool.  
"If magic did not exist, how do you explain the presence of that young lady there?" he smiled. He gestured towards the far left side where a brunette sat on the back, next to a tall intimidating man.

Macau scoffed with pity.  
"Honestly, for all we know she's just a random teenager pretending to be from another world." The Chinese nation shrugged "Or she could be completely schizophrenic. Either ways, even if we do humour you with her, she does not prove the existence of anything. This is a country's fate we are deciding on, not a stupid game. If you're not taking it seriously, I'm leaving, along with a few others it seems."

England grimaced. It was no easy feat to get people to believe in magic.  
"I've been a child until last night, when my brother managed to turn me back. Hopefully you can explain this too without magic? Are we all schizophrenic and delusional or something? Or have doctors popped in and put us under some drugs?"

Macau bit back a remark and shook his head in defeat. Nonetheless, England's win was not made for so much as Bulgaria stood up instead.  
"Our anatomy, our physical appearance is far from understood." The European nation declared "The current human knowledge does not allow us to figure our own bodies out. Some nations look older than those older than them, some nations change when something happens in them… You becoming a kid may just be one of those times. Perhaps a group of young Englishmen gathered enough strength to influence your politics and finally crumbled to pieces last night."

"Don't you think I'd have noticed that?" England asked in disbelief.

Bulgaria sighed "Not if you want us to believe in magic."

Ireland shot up, fist ready to attack "I may not be the most caring brother in the world but I will not stand down if you dare imply England's been manipulating everyone!"

"Ireland!" England called "Thank you, but please act as a country today not as a brother." He remained strict and stiff on the outside but a thankful twinkle in his eyes tamed Ireland into sitting back down.  
"Bulgaria's words are justified." He spit out.

"Don't you think it's weird?" Romania spoke up "Centuries ago, we would have gladly killed all our fellow nations to appease our gods or the spirits of nature. Nowadays, no matter how much magic is demonstrated before us, we need science to prove everything, even when it can't."  
The vampire-like nation smirked "What I find really interesting though, is what made you _really_ change your mind England."

The Englishman paled.  
"I already told you," he stuttered "The magic traces I found were-"

"The book, Romania," Scotland cut in "The book made us change our minds."  
The redhead nation glanced at the human girl, who nodded in return.  
"But that shall be discussed later, between those involved only."

Romania smiled and sat back down.

"This whole mess is a joke." Belarus spoke up, capturing everyone's attention with just her strong presence. "Iceland has committed a crime. He needs to be killed. I'll chase him down myself and slit his throat if no one takes action."  
As to illustrate her words, Belarus twirled her pen once in her hand before gripping it like a knife.

"Iceland would never kill Norway or Denmark!" Finland growled. All nations around him scooted away with the exception of Sweden. Finland had always been a calm and soothing person but all knew he was just as bad as Russia when angered.

"Iceland is a nation." Belarus replied, glaring right into Finland's eyes "Like all of us, he will follow his people's will. No matter how much the boy loved his family, if Icelanders hated Norwegians and Danes he would try to kill them. Or are you implying his desires and his country's are different? In that case he is even more dangerous than we thought. The day will come where he'll disregard everything and start wars on a whim."

"That's ridiculous, sister." Russia refuted, to everyone's surprise. The Russian man wasn't very well known for talking during meetings even less for talking to his sisters. "Iceland is Iceland."

America stood up.

When America and Russia exchanged words, it was never a good thing. The conversation usually turned sour and violent, to the point where countries came to fear such interactions.  
Once again, as the two powerful entities stared at each other, their fellow nations braced themselves in a tense silence. Stubborn enemies like these usually argued for the sake of arguing.

"I agree with Russia." He said, frowning as the words felt unfamiliar on his lips. "I mean seriously, I don't understand why you're all so eager to kill the dude but look at it from our point of view: you have no more proof of him having killed Den and Nor than we do of his innocence!"

"Have you not been listening?" Cuba spat "Humans have testified against him, eyewitnesses!"

"And the magic traces indicate Iceland is innocent." America insisted "I don't see why we believe the words of one or two humans and not those of a dozen countries! What? Our opinions don't count anymore?"

"Even if magic were at work," Estonia pointed out "Iceland is still a runaway. If he really was innocent, he would not be that afraid of showing his face."

"You can't just stay there and do nothing once you've seen your brother get impaled by a car piece!" The human girl cried, looking almost outraged "Death is scary! No one in their right mind would stay next to a corps."

"Yeah, I'm sure you've seen many people die." North Korea scoffed.

Irene bit her lips, holding back either anger or tears "Once is enough."

"My, my" North Korea continued mocking "Poor little girl has seen grandma die… Iceland is a country, young lady, he knows death, he's been raised by death."

"Not by the death of his own brother." Irene replied bitterly "Not by the death of someone he thought would always be by his side."

"I do not approve of a human child influencing the meeting." Belarus immediately spat out, narrowing her eyes at the almost non-existent distant that separated said human from her brother "This is international justice. A young mind like her cannot possibly make right decisions."

"I think a mind like hers can do just fine." Scotland spoke up "Right now, and that I can assure you, Irene has the mindset closer to Iceland's."

"Yeah, that's – wait, what?" America started before throwing a questioning glance at the Scott.

Scotland replied with a similar look "… I thought you knew about what the book said. That is the only explanation for you defending Iceland despite Russia being on his side."

"Uh… What book?" America asked "I was just asked by Norway to help his little bro. All I know about is that Prussia has something to do with this whole mess."

All the countries instantly turned to Prussia, except for Romania who whispered "the spell book you idiot!" to America.

"Mein Gott, Gilbert," Germany asked, exasperation and anger in his voice "Just what did you do this time? Tell me you didn't kill Norway and Denmark."

"I didn't!" Prussia defended himself "I swear I never laid a hand on them! I have no idea what they are talking about!"

"We're talking about Kiev's death." Romania answered, his tone defying Prussia to deny it.

And then realisation dawned on the albino's face. It couldn't have been more obvious; with the attention of all the nations on him, his red eyes turned wide and his mouth gaped open like that of a fish. "How do you know anything about that?" he asked, ignoring everyone's inquiring glances.

"Mongolia has like this huge painting in his house about her death and you're on it." America answered "And apparently Norway's last words to his brother were about Prussia."

Romania facepalmed. And just as his did, the feared reactions of the quick of the mind erupted.

"How the hell do you know what my ceiling looks like?" Mongolia exclaimed, shooting up as fast as a rocket.

Switzerland followed "That's not the problem, why do you know about Norway's last words to his brother?"

"You're his accomplice." Mongolia deduced paling from the shock "Iceland has managed to get the world's superpower to be an accomplice of his."

"What? Pfffff, no!" America laughed sending help signals with his eyes to Finland "I would never do such thing! Hey, did you guys hear about the horse meat?"

The Finnish man sighed and stood up. He took on the glare he was famous for and dug his stare into every single pair of eyes he could see in the room "You know what? There's no point in hiding it anymore. Yes, we know where Iceland is and we've talked to him. Also, we may have been investigating a complete different case, but not an unrelated one: the mysterious past of Kievan Rus. If you don't believe me, hack into Norge's computer; I'm sure you'll see how hard he's been working on the exact same problem. And that woman's past seems to have an unwritten side, especially concerning the Golden Horde. Am I wrong Mongolia?"

Mongolia sat back down in thoughts "No, but… There is no connection between my grandfather's old legend and Norway's current state… and it's a legend anyways! These things aren't meant to be true!"

Finland smirked "So there _is_ a legend?"

Mongolia's eyes widened "What? You didn't - ?" the man sighed in defeat "Fine, fine, I'll humour you. So, the legend goes like this;…"

"Stop!" Germany shouted "We're not here to listen to some tale or whateve-"

"Yes, Germany?" Finland's smile somehow forced Germany's mouth to shut tight.

Mongolia shook his head and resumed: "Apparently my grandfather, the Golden Horde as you all know him, and Kievan Rus were not exactly the best of friends… Yeah, they absolutely couldn't stand each other. Though it was obvious the Golden Horde was much more powerful, Kiev fought and fought stubbornly, delaying my grandfather's victory. So, angered, he cursed her. It wasn't a simple curse however; it was more like imposing on her a never-ending torment, one that would follow her blood to her kids… Or in this case kid, Russia. It said that forever General Winter would torture her and isolate her, that she would never be able to be with her loved ones, that she would be alone and that her heart and mind would crumble because of it. Kievan Rus never really had to live with it though, she died two weeks later. On the other hand…" he glanced at Russia, surprised to see him stunned. "I guess you weren't so lucky."

"No… No, that's not the end of it." Prussia continued, taken in by the pace "Kievan Rus did something. She wasn't going to allow her kid to suffer for her… She did something to anger General Winter even more. Those few days before she died when endless snowstorms especially within her dying empire." Prussia clenched his fist and waved his hand in dismiss "Nevermind."

"No! Not never mind!" Irene cried, over reacting to his dismissal "This may be important!"

"Whoah! Calm down!"Prussia replied, "What's gotten into you?"

Scotland answered for her and to her with a grin "You've figured out the link between this and yourself, haven't you?"

"But it doesn't make sense." Irene said, a blank look on her face "It's just not possible. Why me? How? I'm from a different world, I have a family there… How can I be related to this?"

"What exactly did you figure out?" America asked.

"If you're seriously talking about this, I'm leaving." Macau declared.

Iceland's defenders exchanged a guilty look, but refused to delay the conversation further.  
"From what I understand, some of you have found a different source of information." Scotland continued "We'll have to share if we want to get anywhere."

In response, most of the countries and the presidents shook their heads in disappointment, gathered their notes and left, bitter anger hanging in the air. The only ones to stay sitting were the United Kingdom, the Nordics, the German brothers, Hungary, Irene, Hong Kong, Russia, America, Romania, China, Mongolia, Northern Italy, Canada, France, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and the Benelux siblings.  
They all waited for the shuffling to stop and for the door to close to resume.

"Since we're all here now, we might as well get along with it." Mongolia sighed.

"Can we start? Can we start?" America asked, raising his hand in the air like an overexcited child.

England face palmed "Just say what you have to say, git."

"Thanks mom." America chirped "Anywho, apparently Irene brought some kind of dark magic with her from her world and it's probably gonna destroy everything. So to stop it, Norge gathered me, Ice and Romania and we set out to find out how to stop it by following the magic's origin! But then Ice and Norge got in a car crash, along with Den's car and we had to go to Mongolia without Norway. There we saw the amazingly awesome painting which by the way must have taken an extremely talented artist that could only have been Mongolian-"

"Flattery will not change the fact you broke into my house." Mongolia deadpanned.

"- Right. So the painting had Kievan getting beaten, Russia watching, Prussia watching and the Golden Horde being all like 'look I'm fabulous!' and then we got back, thinking we could stalk Prussia to find out more."

"… That's it?" Switzerland asked.

Romania shrugged "What else could we do? So, what's in the spell book?"

"It's basically Irene's biography." Scotland earnestly answered. "But what's really weird is that all the chapters of her life are entitled with an event of Kievan Rus' history… My guess is that Irene is some kind of reincarnation of Kiev."

"Does that make her Russia's mom?" Northern Italy asked.

…

"No." everyone answered, considerably paling at the thought.

"No… I think I might have an idea but…" Prussia allowed his red eyes to wander around his shoes "It would mean that Kiev has toyed with something that shouldn't be toyed with and frankly, I'm not even allowed to tell you anything about that. However, we definitely can't let things be." He shuffled into his pockets to take out a small book entitled 'Diary of an awesome kid'. He then took out a small piece of paper that seemed centuries old and stood up, before making his way to Irene, handing her the drawing "Do you perhaps recognize this person?"

Irene looked up and instantly froze. She raised her head mechanically, her eyes begging for an answer for the albino.

The man swore under his breath "I guessed so." He muttered "This drawing is of Kievan Rus."

"That's not possible!" Irene immediately denied "That – She – She's not a country…"

"You knew Kievan Rus?" Finland asked.

"No!" Irene answered "It's just that she looks exactly like someone from my world."

"Not anyone." Prussia continued "She looks like someone from your family… Or there's no way you'd have inherited the curse."

"Okay, that's it." France decided "What do you know Prussia?"

"Before dying, Kiev asked for an additional week to her life." Prussia explained "It's probably then that she came up with a scheme to free Russia from loneliness… And that scheme was to fight loneliness with loneliness, but someone else's. Being in another world, it's obvious the kids she'd had would also be subject to the curse. The real bet of this was that Kiev had no way of knowing whether by going from a world to another, the curse would break… Lucky for her, it did. Less lucky, the magic from the curse is now spread all over the world."

"That makes sense." Germany said, in awe from seeing his brother say sensible things.

"How do you know all this though?" Canada asked.

Prussia sighed "There's a reason I'm still not dead despite changing so many times of name and of people."

"Does that mean Kiev never died in this world?" Romania asked.

"No." Prussia replied "When a country dies, it doesn't just disappear. It goes live in a parallel world where any form of magic does not exist… Kiev knew that, I told her."

"So to make it short," Hungary said "Kiev was about to die, so she created this spell book that would bring her descendant from the other world here to make sure Russia wouldn't be alone?"

"Well, technically, it worked." China concluded "I've never seen Russia this surrounded or at ease."

"Da," Russia smiled "Thank you Ire – Irene?"

The girl was as still as a statue, staring at the opposite wall. Her green eyes seemed to be on alert and she herself had not seemed to notice her crisped fingers were clawing the table in front of her.  
And suddenly, everyone could hear what frightened her.

_You're mine, Russia…_

"For the last time," the girl said in a shaking yet determined voice "I am _not_ Russia!"


	27. 32 An Unfortunate Hope

**Hey! Look at that! I updated :D ! **

**Right... I'll try to do that faster next time... Anywho, Hetalia doesn't belong to me (Why God? WHYYYYY?! T.T) and thank you to anyone who endures reading this story! Especially the reviewers!**

* * *

"_For the last time," the girl said in a shaking yet determined voice "I am _not _Russia!"_

The air in the room instantly turned cold in reaction to the young girl's voice, as if all the life of the world was being slowly sucked away. And that cold was nothing less than hostile, numb and sharp. A thin layer of frosted air crawled from the bottom of the conference room to the ceiling, trapping the countries and Irene in a crystal prison.

All the nations abruptly stood from their chair, allowing only a surprised gasp to escape their quivering lips. It was unspoken and yet so obvious that there was a greater being than them at work, an ancient entity, a powerful divinity. In front of such power, even America surprised himself in silence, frantically scanning the room for its source. Russia himself had paled considerably, he knew who it was, in fact most of them knew who it was, it was just so much harder to accept the fact he was coming to see them, to _get_ them.

But Irene didn't spare a glance at the overwhelming change in temperature.  
No, she kept her eyes on the dark mass that was taking shape in front of her, a ghastly image of the darkest of times.

Winter.

The man, if _it_ could be called anything of the sort, was everything one would expect of Russia's worst nightmare and of the season of death. its face was sharp, its cheekbones and nose defined and crooked, its lips in a thin mockery of a smile, its skin void of colours, its hair white as its empire and its eyes mesmerising as a rose and yet just as painful to hold on to. Its black cloak floated around it like the night and moved with a mind of its own, surrounding the creature like a timeless shield.  
It was there, facing the brunette whose presence seemed so insignificant now, armed to the teeth and protected like a King.

_Come to me Russia._

Its voice was just as mysterious and painful as its appearance. It was just a simple whisper, not even loud enough for everyone to hear.  
And yet, everyone had frozen on the spot, the disturbing ringing in their ears plaguing their thoughts.

The ghost slowly raised a skeletal hand and reached for Irene's hair, before putting them behind her ear, clearing her fearful face of any obstruction.  
The girl flinched.

"I-I'm not Russia." She repeated, her voice as frightened as it could get "I'm Irene."

_Lies._

"Privyet, Winter." Russia called, determined to shield his friend from that treacherous ally of his. "I'm here, da?"

_Lies!_

"It's true." Russia insisted, daring a step forward.

_Lies! You are not alone, you are not suffering. Russia is._

All along, the General refused to turn its head away from the petrified girl. His burning ice blue eyes impaling her own emerald green ones with murderous intensity. He wasn't looking at her; he was looking in her, in her soul and in her heart.

_Come to me, child of Kiev._

The creature wrapped its arms around the girl, drowning her in the darkness of its cloak. The girl threw a panic look at her friends, a silent plea for help before disappearing in the black material.

"Irene!" Hong Kong yelled, frantically running towards the ghastly man "Irene, don't-"

**Bang.**

Winter stumbled away from its previous position, grabbing its shoulder like it was searing with hot pain. He snapped up his head in indignation, insulted from the contestation of his royal authority.

Gun in hand and hand shaking like an earthquake, Irene stared back.

Hong Kong stopped in his tracks, taking in the situation. In a quick decision, he closed the small distance left between Irene and himself and peeled the gun out of her hands, carefully keeping an eye on the recuperating being.

**Bang. Bang!**

Twice he shot. Both hit Winter's head with acute precision.

However, that only fed the raging soul with anger. Its cloak started twisting and bending itself violently like a madman, displaying a deranged and frightful show of killing intent. Despite being made to look like ice, Winter's eyes lit up with a vengeful flame, burning his storm of emotions deep into the countries' skin.

"Dammit!" America swore "HK, 'Rene, fall back!" He motioned the door with his arms while running towards the crazed divinity in hopes of stopping it.

Germany was quick to follow him, dismissing all the chairs that were on his way "Do as America says, NOW!"

"I'll help to." Russia said, pulling his iron pipe from his coat "I know him better than any of you."

**Click.  
**"That bastard won't know what hit him." Switzerland declared, his gun loaded and aiming at the ghastly being "No one interrupts our meetings."

"All those who feel like they can stand up against Winter stay here!" Finland ordered "The others help Irene escape."

Immediately, Canada grabbed Irene as America tossed her his way. The group separated in half: one flocked around the ghost while the others ran to the door, their heads stealing a last glimpse at their friends before trusting their backs to them. Irene seemed to be the only one reluctant to go, Hong Kong and Luxembourg had to push her away from the scene.

"Wait!" she cried "I'm not letting you all fight my battle! I can't let you get hurt li-"

"And what will you do?" Hong Kong snapped while opening the door "Slap him? I'm not blind, I saw with which arm you shot and you know very well it won't take another poke to render it useless! Winter is after you, as long as we get you to a safe place, he'll end up giving up."

"Take the next door to the right!" France instructed, running a bit behind to ensure Winter wasn't following "It seems the others are doing a pretty good job at holding him back."

"It's not a safe place I need." Irene muttered.

"What?" Hong Kong asked.

"It's not a safe place I need!" Irene repeated, glaring at him "I need to go home. _Home_, home not somewhere-in-this-world home!"

"Here!" Lichtenstein exclaimed as they finally reached the parking "Who goes where?"

"We'll have to separate to confuse him if he ever gets past the others." China hastily explained "Lichtenstein and Romania, you should go to the hospital to meet up with Iceland if that's where he is. Irene, go with France, Canada and Italy. You should reach Norway's house within three hours, his magic should keep you away from the General. Belgium, take Luxembourg and Sealand to your house. It'll take more time but at least you'll be away from all the trouble. Finally, Mongolia, you should drive Hong Kong and myself to the airport. We're going home, aru."

"I'm going with Liech and Romania to see Iceland." Hong Kong declared, contesting Irene's previous words with his eyes. The girl frowned.

"Too dangerous." China refused.

"No use talking to him." Romania sighed "Just get in my car and let's drive away before he can lecture us." He opened the door and slid in his car, inviting Hong Kong to do the same and smirking at China's offended expression.

"Hurry, Hong Kong!" Lichtenstein warned "There's no time to lose."

Hong Kong did as told and ignored the protesting China as he rushed in the car.

"Irène." France grabbed her shoulder "We should hurry as well."  
Irene nodded.

* * *

To say the ride was tense would be an understatement. Tense was too small of an adjective for when the air turned to bricks and suffocated even countries.

Irene quickly became aware of her own breath in the silence. It had never seemed so loud before and yet it was now all she could hear. Could the others hear it too? That same shaky flow of air that irritated her ears? Irene tried to stabilize her breath; she hated having others know just how scared she really was, it made her seem weak. Ah, but her hands were shaking too. Could they see that? Hopefully not, or they would notice how she cradled her left arm, exploding with pain. It had never happened to her before, for her old wound to react in such way.

Maybe it was just punishing her for the crime she had committed.

The guilt was starting to flow in her. She stared at her left hand. It was definitely paler than usual - then again her whole body probably was - and yet she thought it looked black, black with sin. The gun - that revolting killing tool – had tainted it with its evil.

But she didn't mind that. She was actually proud of having defended herself, of having stood up for her life. Moreover, it wouldn't be the first time she'd have held a murderer in her hands. How many times had she gotten in trouble for lighting up fires? Too many to count. She knew the guilt of "attempted murder" more than anyone her age.

No, the real crime she had committed had nothing to do with all that.

That gun – the one meant to protect her - for a few seconds, dreadful seconds, had not been aimed at the General.

Irene shivered as she remembered the touch of the cold metal on her skull.

If Hong Kong hadn't yelled out her name…

"Irene?" Italy asked, a fake courage hiding the slight tremble in his voice "Are you okay? You've been staring at your hand for quite a while now."

Irene turned around and looked at the Italian. He seemed so much more afraid than she was, as pale as death and with tears drowning his warm brown eyes and yet he had the energy to put up a front. He smiled.

"I-I'm fine." She croaked, with a rusty voice that sounded like it hadn't been used in centuries. She couldn't even convince herself she was telling the truth.

Irene saw France frown in the rear mirror.  
"No you're not." He refuted "Hong Kong was saying something about your arm when we were running, does it hurt?"

"Just a bit, don't wor-" Irene started.

"You're bleeding." Canada suddenly warned, twisting his body to see the girl who sat behind him.

Irene looked down and her left biceps was indeed vomiting blood in industrial quantities. The girl paled. How had she not felt the familiar warmth on her arm?

Her breath picked up speed.

"Oh God… Oh God, ohgodohgodohgodohgodohgod…" She started chanting, fixing her eyes on the wound.

The blood simply wouldn't stop flowing, just like it did when she had been stuck in snow four years before and desperately calling for help. Immediately, she felt cold again. Was Winter catching up? Who was going to save her from the snow? Why was her mom not moving? Why could she only see white? And that pain, everywhere… Was she dead already? Would she die soon? She sure hoped so. Maybe death was better than that torture. Cold… So cold… Hopefully her brother was fine –

"Irene!" Canada cried as Italy slapped her out of her thoughts. "You are in a car, not in snow!"

Irene stared blankly at Italy, dumbfounded. It took time for her to take in her real surroundings, to realize what she had imagined was nothing more but a daydream of the past.

"Irène." France called, catching her attention with the French pronunciation of her name "What do you think of Hong Kong?"

"That's not the time for this papa!" Canada complained "She's in shock!"

"Best friend? Possible boyfriend?" France continued, glancing at the horror filled expression of the girl with a warm understanding look in his eyes.

"I-I…" Irene stuttered, unable to comprehend what he was asking of her.

"I personally like that kid a lot, especially since he troubled our dear England so much!" France smiled "He used to light firecrackers in the night, attempt to mow those forests of eyebrows of his, hide England's recipe books – though I'm sure that was more a question of survival than fun - , talk to me just to see him flip out… It sure was entertaining."

Irene continued staring at him in disbelief.

France sighed "So, really, what's your opinion on the boy?"

"H-He's nice I guess…" Irene muttered, feeling her heartbeat calm down.

"Nice?" France asked "I wasn't expecting that. You see, even though he always appears so mischievous and carpe diem oriented, there's a part of him that seems to be detached from the world, almost demeaning towards others. He usually never acts nice around people who aren't Iceland, Taiwan, Korea or Macau."

"But he taught me how to use a gun…" Irene said "And he listened to me when I called him early in the morning, he made sure I had the basic necessities, he got Iceland to help me, he agreed to make waffles with me, he always answered when I texted him…"

"Looks like he cares a lot for you then." France concluded, fixing his eyes on the dry road.

"But I _hate_ him!" Irene replied, looking just as confused as the others "Whenever I set my mind on something, he just has to eat away my determination, to make me doubt myself! And he's always trying to look through me, almost like he's analysing my every movement, but I don't want to be seen, I don't want others to know how I feel! It's none of his business! The worst is, he doesn't even know the real me… He just doesn't know how hard it is for me too to make decisions like these!"

"Wait…" Canada halted "What decision?"

"I don't wanna go home either." Irene let out, looking into Canada's eyes like a lost child looking for an answer. "I don't wanna go back to that horrible place where everyone avoided me like the plague, where people bullied me just 'cause I didn't have the courage to stand up, where the teachers never bothered checking if I had problems just cause my grades were good, where I was completely alone, where all my friends were fake… He has no idea how many times I thought of committing suicide!"

"Then why are you trying to leave?" Italy asked, the fear in his eyes slowly being chased away by curiosity and concern.

"Because everything that's happening now is my fault!" Irene replied, her eyes begging for someone to tell her wrong "If I hadn't come here in the first place, the magic within me would never had unleashed, General Winter would never have grown so powerful, Norway and Denmark's wounds wouldn't be infected with whatever dark magic is in the air, Iceland wouldn't be considered a criminal by nine tenth of the whole world, Scotland and England wouldn't be working their ass off to find a way home…"

"But going home won't solve those problems." Canada cut off "What's done is done and frankly, by that same logic, it's England's fault, not yours."

"But Winter is after _me_." Irene insisted "And besides… It's not like I can live amongst countries, can I? I'm not even supposed to exist here; I have no passport, no residency in any country, no house… Plus, you guys don't have the time to take care of some random human girl, not to mention being near me means being Winter's target."

"I'm sure we can find a way around this!" Italy chirped.

"I'm not going to stay." Irene confirmed "I need to go home. Me being here just _feels_ wrong. I'm not like you, I won't live forever! Once you get tired of me, you'll just abandon me too because I'm human, I'll grow old and I'm just another one in the crowd… You'll just… Home… Adrien is waiting home…"

The world turned black.

* * *

It was cold.

So cold Irene could swear her breath was ice.

However, she knew none of it was real. It was the same place again, the same empty space in which she had been spending quite a few dreams since she had arrived in the world. Did that mean she had fallen asleep? She couldn't remember. All her memory would allow her was recalling a frightening confusion and that sickening feeling of being drained of energy.

"Irène." A blurred figure called. From where she sat, in the cold plain of nothingness, Irene could barely distinguish the faint silhouette that stood right in front of her. However she knew it was someone she had seen before: she could only dream of people she knew… or General Winter. The way the person pronounced her name and the seemingly blond hair he/she had suggested it was France, but… She had seen him right before falling asleep, how could her memory of him be so fuzzy?

Unless…

Yes, that was it. General Winter's words had had more of an impact on her than they should have.

He had appeared multiple times in her dreams, calling her Russia and reaching to her. At first, she didn't believe anything he said; _it was just a dream_, she told herself. However, she quickly realized it was more than that, especially when the General's ghastly voice had stirred something that she had believed gone from her heart…

Hope.

It was horrible thing for him to do such thing. The fact that she had nothing left in her world was what enabled her to at least be happy in another. She didn't have to feel guilty for leaving nothing behind, she didn't have to worry for the nothing that cared for her, she didn't have to look back to see nothing! But now she had doubts. What if her loved ones weren't all gone forever? What if one of them was just waiting for her to find him? It was possible, completely against the odds but definitely possible.  
After all, Adrien's corps had never been found.

And then it hit her. If countries who died ended up in her world, just like Kiev, wouldn't she do that too? She was technically in this other world now and apparently related to an ex-nation. Then she could finally go home and maybe – hopefully – meet up with Adrien.

It wasn't just hope anymore, she was sure of it. He was alive. How could he not be? He was even standing right in front of her! Sure he was blurry, but she hadn't seen him in four years.

She had to go home.

Using any means necessary.

"_Holy shit! What happened to her?_" Hong Kong's voice suddenly echoed in her dream.

"_She's suffering from blood loss and we can't get her to the hospital with General Winter around_." France's voice answered.

Huh? Her dreams weren't usually interrupted by other random voices. Irene turned back her attention to the wavering silhouette.

"_Calm down_." England's voice ordered "_I know we're pretty much under siege but panicking won't bring us anywhere_."

Unfortunately for Irene, the figure seemed to be disappearing slowly.

"_England?_" Iceland's voice asked "_Weren't you helping the others fight the General ?_"

"_Unfortunately_," England answered "_He escaped us almost immediately after you left. We all headed here right after; the others are in the basement looking for useful things to keep him away_."

Actually, the whole dream seemed to fade away, despite the girl's effort to keep it in her grasp.

"_Hey, she's opening her eyes!_" Hong Kong exclaimed. "_Irene! You okay?_"

"Irene!" he repeated.

Hong Kong, Iceland, England, France and Italy were peering over couch Irene was lying on.

"Where…?" Irene started asking, while attempting to sit up. Immediately, she felt the blood in her head twist and her vision blur again.

"Don't get up to fast." France warned, a bit late. "You're in Norway's house; it seems it has a defence mechanism against Winter. How are you feeling?"

"Cold." Irene deadpanned "And my arm hurts. And my head hurts. And I have trouble focusing on your face… Unless you guys actually cloned yourself three times, in which case I congratulate you."

Hong Kong let out a sigh of relief "Looks like she's fine." He smirked.

Irene made a second attempt at sitting up, this time slower and with the help of Italy. "So what's the plan?" she asked.

"Well everyone's rummaging through Norway's basement to find something that might help and Scott's found a way to bring you back home." England answered "We think it's safer to let you head back before dealing with him." He then added, not looking very convinced at his own words. Actually, and even though Irene was too dizzy to make sure, it was almost as if England was saying those words sarcastically, like he was against them as well.

"Wait – What?" Hong Kong stuttered.

"Really?" Irene questioned her eyes full of hope.

"It's pretty simple," England continued "We just modified the spell I used to bring you here a bit."

"You mean the one with all the yaoi, lemon, fandom and all those kind of words written on the floor?" Irene asked before laughing at the country's blush "Oh God, you checked what they meant, didn't you?"

"Japan proved to be quite knowledgeable about that kind of vocabulary." England explained dismissively "However, before sending you off to God knows what forsaken place your world is, I'd like to ask you a few questions." The girl nodded "First of all, what do you think of this world?"

Irene was taken aback. She was expecting questions that related to her mother or to how she ended up where she was, definitely not about how she felt. As a matter of fact, why was everyone asking about how she felt? First Hong Kong, then France and now England? Ridiculous. No one really cared for what she thought. No one ever did.

On the other hand, there was no way she could just ignore the question simply because she didn't trust its genuineness.  
"It's great." Irene replied with sincerity "I mean, even though everything is much more serious with all the wars and all that, everyone has a really distinct personality so you always find someone to spend time with. Back in my world, people always try to be the perfect model of what society thinks is normal and anyone who doesn't fit the criterias… Well, they get shunned, bullied, hurt, avoided…"

"You speak from experience." England stated "Do you really want to go back to that kind of world?"

Irene frowned "What's with everyone wanting me to say I hate my world?"

"England." Scotland, who had just walked in from the basement called with an underlying threat "What did we say about mothers already?"

England muttered a curse under his breath "Fine! Fine. You win. Let's get this over with."

"She's leaving _now_?" Hong Kong asked.

"The earlier the better before England whimpers out." Scotland growled.

Irene's eyes then caught on to a line of white chalk on the floor. A line that seemed to circle the couch with intricate hand-written words all around it and a huge star inside… It looked exactly like the kind of circle used to summon Satan.

The line started shinning.


	28. 33 Voice of the sleeping

**Completed and updated for its "birthday"! Yay!**  
**Thanks to Momoko A. Mak for reminding me :)**

**Also, the story is reaching its end, only two to four chapters left! Thank you for staying with me so far into the story!**  
**Hetalia does not belong to me.**

* * *

The light blinded the room in a silence so loud no one could even be heard gasping. It wasn't possible to distinguish anything from anything anymore or to catch the slightest noise. All they could all do was shiver from the cold air the light seemed to emit, and move the least in fear they would disturb the sacred ritual that was crossing worlds. If anyone were to ask, it was exactly how Hong Kong had always imagined death to be: an icy dulling of the senses.

However, the bath of light lasted less than a minute. After a brief explosion, a thick fog, similar to a cloud of snow after a blizzard quickly replaced it and suddenly, though no one could see the others, the sound of their breaths reminded of their presences.  
They still dared not move or talk.  
They were much too curious to the outcome to do that.

Hong Kong was the one to grab his courage in his hands. He reached out in front of himself, where he remembered the couch to be, and stretched his hand to its surface. His hand met the cushions.  
"She…" he whispered, barely opening his mouth in surprise "She's gone."

It felt somehow empty in the island's heart. He himself wasn't too sure what to think. Even if they fought, they were friends, right? He should have been feeling sad then. But why wasn't he? Was the anger he felt towards England and Scotland for taking action without allowing him to say goodbye first hindering his sense of loss? That must have been it. Or else he would have been a crying mess at the moment. Yes, that was the only possible explanation.

But… If that was so, he would have been eager to punch the two and frankly, he didn't feel like even moving a finger.

"She's gone." He repeated, this time with a little more conviction.

That had been what he needed. To convince himself. Irene had always kind of been _there_ the past days, it was hard to believe she wasn't anymore.

England on the other hand, lost no time into slapping his brother.  
"I hope you're happy now." He snarled.

"What have you done to my beautiful face?" France whined "Why?"

"Oh. You're not Scotland." England noticed "Oh well, you deserved that anyway, frog."

"I'm on your left, not on your right." Scotland informed "And yes, I am satisfied by the fact you finally came to your senses. It was the right thing to do."

"But she's going to be miserable in her – Ugh!" groaned England "You know what? Nevermind. We're not having this argument again."

"Veee~ I'm gonna miss her." Italy cried

"Same." Iceland agreed "It's not every day you get a human friend like this huh? I seriously hope she'll find a place to belong back in her world."

"Awww… I'm glad you guys feel that way!" Irene's voice suddenly cooed.

…

"Wait – What?" England sputtered "But… You're…"

"I fell off the couch at the explosion you morons." Irene deadpanned "So if whoever's on top of me could stand back up it would help, my arm's not liking this."

Hong Kong came back to his senses straight away, an odd sigh of relief escaping him.

A loud thump resonated in the room as Irene pushed the person off.

"Oh." She gasped "I-I think he's dead."

Luckily, the fog was starting to clear. Hong Kong immediately kneeled besides her, freeing her last limb from the weight of the corpse look-alike. He couldn't help but notice how shaken Irene seemed to be… and how strange it was for her to come to the conclusion it just had to be a dead body.

"I think you may have messed up, my friend." France laughed "That boy is not a country but a human. You've just doubled the problem. Ah, he's waking up."

Irene relaxed a bit at the news.

"Irène?" the boy croaked.

And then she tensed again.

With the fog now gone, Irene could see the waking boy looking straight at her with unfocused eyes. He was small, probably around eight or nine years old, but appeared bigger with the huge layers of clothes he wore. His whole self was in a rather undesirable state: his blond hair was as messy as a bird's nest, his blue eyes puffy and red, his big shoes covered in dirt and his attire torn and white from snow.

"Irène! _It is you!_" the boy exclaimed in a fluent french, chopped only between sobs "_I thought you died!_" He ignored the others around and ran straight at the girl who remained sitting on the floor. He quickly wrapped his arms around her, glowing in joy.

On the other hand, Irene stayed paralyzed. She wasn't reciprocating the hug in anyways that was required in a long term reunion. Instead, she just sat there, pale as if she was being hugged by Winter itself.  
And then she shoved him away.

"_Don't come near me!_" she screamed in french as she suddenly stood up "You're just another one of his traps, right? He took you from my memory right?"

"_What are you talking about?_" the boy whimpered in surprise "_Why are you talking to me in engli – Oh. You're not Irène._"

Irene took another step back "I'm Irene. You're not Adrien."

"_Irène is ten_." The boy reasoned, slightly disappointed "_You're obviously older_."

"No, Adrien should be twelve by now!" Irene hissed.

"And crossing dimensions and crossing time is very similar." England interrupted "Now I don't know what's really going on between you two but I think there's a simple explanation: I summoned Irene from the other world in a certain year and we summoned you from that same world a few years before that."

"I'm sorry." The boy apologized in heavily accented English "I can't understand what you're talking about."

"Wow… That actually explains a lot." Irene said, collapsing on the couch. She dropped her head between her hands and let out a long sigh before leaning against the backrest "Just give me a minute. I'm being saturated with thoughts."

"So… this _is_ Irène?" the boy asked, pointing at her.

Iceland nodded and smiled a little "And you must be Adrien. I heard a lot about you, though I imagined you to be older… and Irene's boyfriend."

Adrien gagged "She's my sister! Ugh… Just, no. I need brain bleach. Oh, where am I?"

"In Norway." Iceland answered.

"But I was in Switzerland five seconds ago." Adrien frowned "What happened?"

"You were saved." Irene answered, apparently having managed to sort out her mind.

"By who?" the boy asked.

"By England." Irene answered, catching said country's attention "Or Arthur. It may sound crazy but this is another world in which every country is represented by a person. Anyways, he summoned you sometime after we were separated, four years ag – or in your case, a few minutes ago."

Adrien nodded taking everything in. And then he frowned again.  
"Wait, but if I was summoned here… Then who called help for you and mom?" Adrien asked, worried. "Who saved dad? What happened when no one found me?"

Irene bit her lower lip "Adrien, I want you to listen to me very carefully, okay?" the boy nodded in silence "Right. First of all, concerning dad… People don't just survive after being swallowed so violently by an avalanche." Irene couldn't bring herself to look into her brother's eyes as she continued "And for mom, well… There's a reason why I, not her, asked you to go get help when we both fell… She cushioned my fall with her body…"

Adrien stared back at her blankly, seemingly unable to process what she had just said. "They're… dead?" he asked "But they can't be…"

Irene gave her brother a sad smile and a warm hug. She mouthed a small 'Thank you' towards England before burying her face in Adrien's shoulder.  
"It's fine." She reassured "I'm probably not the most responsible person you know, but I'll find a way to take care of you."

Scotland grit his teeth at the touching sibling moment. He gave a last look of anger at his brother before turning on his heels and leaving towards the basement.

"Wow… He looks happy I stayed." Irene laughed, unable to suppress a smile.

"Please don't think bad of him." England asked apologetically "He's being the responsible one. None of us want you to be miserable Irene, he just knows there's more at stake than your happiness."

As Scotland's footsteps grew dim, another set of footsteps closed up, running up a staircase before its owner presented himself in the room, arm in a sling and blood trickling from his forehead.  
Immediately, Irene stopped embracing her brother and shot up, running to the man.

"Oh God Russia! What happened? I thought you were in the base – Ugh…" The blood in her body rushed to her head before she could finish and caused her to collapse in the Russian's healthy arm. "Sorry, I guess I'm still a bit light-headed."

"Don't move around so much, da?" he smiled "Canada may have bandaged you perfectly well but you're still missing a lot of blood." He turned to a confused Adrien and nodded curtly "Scotland has hastily debriefed me of who you are. Nice to meet you, please call me Ivan if you cannot get used to us being countries. Otherwise, I'm Russia."

Adrien, though obviously intimidated by the man's height and still in shock managed a small nod. "A-Adrien."

"What happened to you Russia?" Irene asked again.

"Don't worry; I'm pretty well off compared to others." Russia chuckled "General Winter did a number on us before escaping. Luckily, we managed to all make it here safely… However… It seems we're more than just under siege. Winter is becoming more and more aggressive by the second."

Irene bit her lips. How powerful was the General? To think he could injure _countries_ to such extent… And only because they were protecting her. If only she was strong enough to take him on without involving further people. She was tired of being protected all the time! Wasn't that why she had tried learning to use a gun?  
Irene glanced at her brother who just looked at the floor, pale and crying.  
There was no way she could just die and let him fend off the world by himself. She wouldn't attempt at her own life again, not after the impression pointing a gun at herself had left on her. However, if she could find a way to grant her power, she would be able to isolate herself and Winter and keep the fight away from others until she found a solution. Power. The girl felt like such a stereotyped villain thinking like that but it made sense.  
How could she…?

…

How had Kiev gotten her hands on magic?  
Romania had mentioned something about all countries worshipping magic in the past, but there was something more…  
Of course!  
How had she not thought about it?

Prussia.  
He was the way. Hadn't he survived many deaths? Hadn't he been the only one to truly know what had happened to Kiev? Irene couldn't tell why but she just knew he was the man to ask.  
If her mom managed to make a deal with him, surely enough she could.

* * *

Norway's basement was for some reason or another twice the size of his house. It was no wonder it had been chosen as some sort of emergency room for all the nations who were injured.

All the desks and bookshelves had been pushed to the naked cream colored walls to guarantee space for the wounded to lie down. The wooden floor was partially covered in what looked like all the sheets and towels they had managed to gather as not too taint the whole floor red.

It basically looked like the only refuge left for mankind's last survivors after a fight against an army of angry fan girls.

Though to Irene's greatest relief, no one seemed in mortal danger or even passed out. Some like America and Finland were even joking about the huge gashes on their limbs, comparing them to rivers or such. However, the girl knew their indifference towards pain only came from much more agonizing past sufferings. They were used to it. It was hard to picture them at their most physically hurt point because every time she pictured the goriest scene she could, Irene had a feeling it wasn't gore enough to even come close to what they had gone through.

She quickly diverted her thoughts by spotting Prussia who was poking one of his brother's bruises. The albino wasn't particularly hurt. He actually looked perfectly fine except for his more than usually ruffled clothes. On the other hand, Germany who was sitting next to him looked like a soldier coming back from the bloodiest battlefield that had ever existed.

"Hey Prussia." The girl called, heading over to the two siblings.

Germany eyed her wearily "Shouldn't you be resting? A human shouldn't stand up after having lost such quantities of blood."

So even Germany wanted her to stand down? Not a chance. "I convinced the others to let me help searching through Norway's books." Irene answered "But I need to talk to Prussia first."

"Haha… No." Prussia deadpanned.

"What? You didn't even hear me out!" Irene cried, taking a sit in front of the two brothers.

Prussia sighed "Yeah but I can kinda guess where you're going."

Germany raised his brow.  
"What are you talking about?" he asked.

Prussia just shrugged off his brother's answer "Nothing."

Irene grinned. She knew just what to do to be heard and from Prussia's horrified expression, she also knew he had guessed her plan.  
"We're talking about your brother's secret. You know, the reason he knew so much about Kiev's death and the whole parallel world thing and-"

Before she could finish, the albino had clasped his hand on her mouth.  
"Let's have that little talk, shall we?" he smiled.

"Sure Prussia," she grinned "I didn't know you were so eager to talk to me."

The two found a discreet place to talk, right between two bookshelves, and resumed their 'little talk'.

"I need to make a deal with you." Irene explained.

"And the answer is no." insisted Prussia "It's too dangerous, never worth it and you're human for God's sake."

"Does that really change anything?" Irene asked.

"It changes the fact that adding a single day to your life is the equivalent of adding ten to twenty years for a country." Prussia answered "Kiev asked for a single week and that was already the maximum I could do."

"But I don't want an additional day." Irene frowned.

"In that case, I really can't help you." Prussia answered, looking relieved "I can only deal with death."

_But I can._

"Whoa, Winter?" Irene exclaimed upon hearing the voice. It seemed different from the one that had been haunting her dreams, it was warmer though much more monotonous.

"Irene, are you okay?" Prussia asked.

"Did you not hear – okay you didn't hear." The girl muttered "I think the blood loss is getting to my head."

_Calm down you idiot. And think your answers._

…_Like this? Does it work?_ Irene thought.

_Yes._

_HOLY SHIT STOP INVADING MY THOUGHTS AND MY PRIVACY YOU PERVERTED FREAK! GET AWAY, GET AWAY!_

"Uhm, Irene?" Prussia repeated.

"You know what, I'll go lie down on the couch for a while." Irene dismissed "And I think your brother's stitched still need a bit of work so I'll leave that to you."  
The girl hastened her step, trying to ignore her head who in fact was actually completely disoriented. She thought of going where she had said she would but promptly changed her mind. She needed somewhere void of people, which wasn't easy to find in a place full of countries.

_Turn left here._ The voice suddenly instructed as she climbed up the stairs towards the living room where the couch awaited her return.

_There's a wall on my left!_ She mentally hissed_. Oh, hey, looks like I can actually put emotion in my voice! I thought I sounded dead like you for a moment._

_There, on that brick wall in front of you._ The voice replied. _If you look at the top, there's a small fissure. Make sure no one's near the staircase and then push on the wall over the fissure. There will be a small rope ladder that will fall. Climb it and reel it back in, the wall will close with the help of the rope once you're inside._

Irene did just that, surprised to find exactly what the voice had predicted she would. Truthfully, she had no idea why she even bothered listening to it. It was most likely General Winter trying to deceive her into coming outside after all. However, there was something in that voice that inspired trust, a sort of familiar vibe that came from it.

Climbing wasn't an easy task, especially not with her arm in the state it was, but Irene pulled through nonetheless. It wasn't too high up anyways, just the height of the wall.

Inside was a small study, buried under a mass of scribbled sheets and opened books. It was probably a hidden attic of the house in which Norway did his research… or stayed holed up in for hours. Despite its claustrophobic triggering size, the small room was actually one of the coziest places Irene had ever seen. It was full of light thanks to the window on the slated ceiling, held the most cloud-like armchair that existed on earth and was at a perfect lukewarm temperature. Norway, or whoever had made that room had instantly become Irene's favorite interior designer.

"Irene!" the voice called. It hadn't sounded in her ear this time but from the room, as if the speaker was trapped.

The girl followed the muffled sound to the desk, ending up right in front of a drawer. The speaker couldn't be a dwarf could he? He probably couldn't fit in the tiny drawer. However, that was where the voice came from.  
Feeling stupid for even checking, Irene opened the drawer.  
Inside was a bunch of paper (as if the room needed any more of that), an old-fashioned quill and a spare cross shaped hairclip. No person.

"Take the clip!" the clip said.

Irene jumped a few feet back. And smashed herself against the wall.  
"Ouch!" she cried "And why the hell is an object talking to me?"

"It's me, Norway." The clip groaned "Now take the clip, I have to yell to get you to hear me."

"Why don't you just continue talking to me in my head?" Irene asked, carefully picking up the clip.

"Takes too much energy." The clip dismissed.

"Makes sense. How are you?" Irene wondered.

"Still passed out but better." Norway replied "If I'm correct, you managed to inflict some injury on the General, right?"

"I shot him once." Irene answered "Then Hong Kong shot him twice. And then a bunch of others fought him. Why? How'd you know?"

"His magic wavered for a bit," Norway explained "Which is why I managed to grab enough consciousness to talk via telepathy."

"Cool! So you're not dying anymore?" Irene smiled, relieved.

"… Well I'm dying at a slower pace." Norway deadpanned "Which is why I can't afford just lying there not doing anything."

"Oh." Irene said "Wait… Inflicting pain on General Winter weakened the curse's magic? I thought it was the Golden Horde's magic, how is that possible?"

"The Golden Horde knew his magic well," informed Norway "He knew his magic would dissipate at his death. To ensure Kiev's slavery to the curse, he linked his magic to a being he knew would live forever, General Winter."

"Which means killing General Winter is the only way to get rid of whatever's keeping you as active as a potato." Concluded Irene.

"Not that easy." Refuted Norway "You can't kill General Winter. Not that he's invincible or anything. He's just a being the world can't go without. Earth would be burning to ashes if it weren't for him. The Golden Horde chose him well."

"Then what can we do?" Irene asked.

"Well we can't kill General Winter." Norway answered "But we can kill you."


End file.
